Flights at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport have resumed, officials confirmed, six hours after a fire in the cargo section forced all operations to a standstill on Saturday.
The first departure took off at 9:06 p.m. local time (1506 GMT), airport authorities informed reporters.
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, the blaze has been fully extinguished. In a statement, the ministry said:
“Measures will be taken to determine the cause of the fire and to implement safeguards to prevent similar incidents in the future.”
Saturday’s fire marks the third major blaze reported in Bangladesh this week.
- On Tuesday, a fire at a garment factory and an adjoining chemical warehouse in Dhaka killed at least 16 people and injured several others.
- On Thursday, another fire destroyed a seven-storey garment factory in an export processing zone in Chittagong.
The interim government said all recent fires are under intensive investigation. Security agencies are working to safeguard lives and property, it added.
Any indication of sabotage or arson will prompt a “swift and decisive response,” authorities warned, stressing that no criminal act or provocation will be allowed to disrupt public life or interfere with the political process.
A Reuters photograph from the incident showed a passenger aircraft waiting on the tarmac as smoke rose from the cargo bay area of the airport.
Source: Reuters
The first departure took off at 9:06 p.m. local time (1506 GMT), airport authorities informed reporters.
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, the blaze has been fully extinguished. In a statement, the ministry said:
“Measures will be taken to determine the cause of the fire and to implement safeguards to prevent similar incidents in the future.”
Saturday’s fire marks the third major blaze reported in Bangladesh this week.
- On Tuesday, a fire at a garment factory and an adjoining chemical warehouse in Dhaka killed at least 16 people and injured several others.
- On Thursday, another fire destroyed a seven-storey garment factory in an export processing zone in Chittagong.
The interim government said all recent fires are under intensive investigation. Security agencies are working to safeguard lives and property, it added.
Any indication of sabotage or arson will prompt a “swift and decisive response,” authorities warned, stressing that no criminal act or provocation will be allowed to disrupt public life or interfere with the political process.
A Reuters photograph from the incident showed a passenger aircraft waiting on the tarmac as smoke rose from the cargo bay area of the airport.
Source: Reuters