Ha-Meem Factory Fire
Missing claim stops wheel
A few hundred workers of That’s It Sports Wear Ltd of Ha-Meem Group yesterday staged a demonstration at the factory gate claiming that many of their co-workers have gone missing since the fire.
Tuesday’s fire at the factory left 26 dead and at least 100 injured.
Relatives of a few were also seen looking for their loved ones at the factory gate and at hospitals and clinics in the area.
Ha-Meem Group Deputy General Manager Lt Col (retd) Delwar Hossain yesterday morning said they have so far found the bodies of 23 employees. And 52 workers have been injured.
He assured the demonstrators of searching hospitals and clinics to locate the missing ones. He also asked for specific information on the missing persons.
However, according to the registers kept at hospitals and clinics in Dhaka, Savar and Ashulia, the fire claimed the lives of at least 26 workers and injured over 100 others.
The Dhaka district administration handed over the bodies of 21 deceased from Dhaka Medical College morgue to their relatives through Magistrate Abul Bashar Md Fakruzzaman yesterday.
The fire-ravaged factory has been closed for two days to mourn the loss of the employees. A notice hung at the gate asked all employees to join work at 8:00am Friday.
Friday is the weekend and also a public holiday for the holy Ashura.
This sparked more protest from the workers.
Ha-Meem Group Managing Director AK Azad said, “Production will resume although this Friday is a public holiday. The workers will work overtime with pay.”
Azad, also the president of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), said they might face problems of delayed dispatch of deliveries to foreign buyers due to Tuesday’s fire that swept through the ninth and 1oth floors of the 11-storey factory.
He said, “The origin of the fire is still a mystery. I cannot yet say exactly where and how the fire began. Investigation is still on.”
However, Delwar Hossain said they are guessing the fire began from a short circuit. He said the probe bodies would ascertain if it was an act of sabotage.
Three separate committees have been formed so far to probe the fire.
Sirajul Islam, officer-in-charge of Ashulia Police Station, said a general diary has been lodged in connection with the fire at the Ha-Meem Group factory.
