Airport inferno could cost Bangladesh $1bn in damages

Business leaders in Bangladesh worry losses of more than $1bn (£750m) after a devastating fire broke out in the logistics part of the nation’s main airport on Saturday.

Clothes and uncooked supplies had been among the products destroyed, which could put some companies at risk, according to the nation’s export associations.

The trigger of the fire – which took 27 hours to extinguish – is still being investigated. The blaze had compelled the non permanent suspension of flights and airport operations.

Bangladesh is the phrase’s second-largest exporter of garments after China, supplying global retailers like H&M and Walmart.

Bangladesh’s garment sector generates around $40bn a yr, accounting for over a tenth of its gross home product.

Local media reviews say around 35 people had been injured while working to comprise the blaze.

The broken airport cargo village is among the nation’s busiest logistics hubs, particularly during the pre-Christmas rush. The centre saved materials, prescription drugs, chemical compounds and other items.

Some of the products destroyed had been “essential” samples for securing new patrons, which implies affected companies could lose out on future alternatives, Inamul Haq Khan, senior vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufactuers and Exporters Association, told GWN.

In an electronic mail to the BBC, the International Air Express Association of Bangladesh also estimated damages of more than $1bn.

The clothes affiliation has requested all its members to submit a record of broken items to decide the full extent of the losses.

Saturday’s blaze was Bangladesh’s third major fire within a week.

On Tuesday, a lethal warehouse fire killed at least 16 people and injured many others. And on Thursday, another fire burned down a seven-story clothes manufacturing unit in Chittagong.

While investigations into Saturday’s airport fire are still underway, conspiracy theories have been circulating online, linking it to the 2 earlier incidents and claiming all three had been “pre-planned”.

In the past, the causes of such major incidents had been used by political events to assault one another, with events accusing opponents of exploiting the tragedies for political gain. Experts say the heightened hypothesis this time stems from a historical past of uninvestigated accusations, where no one was ever held accountable.

The interim authorities of Bangladesh issued a assertion on Saturday, saying it could take quick and firm actions if “any credible evidence of sabotage or arson is found”.

Large fires are frequent in densely-populated Bangladesh. These are often blamed on poor infrastructure and weak security enforcement. Hundreds of people have been killed in fires in current years.

Additional reporting by BBC Bangla.