Ctg salt factory fire: Death toll rises to 5 as another with 65% burns passes away

Another worker undergoing treatment after suffering burn injuries in an explosion and fire at Confidence Salt Limited’s factory in Boalkhali, Chattogram, has died, taking the death toll from the incident to five.

Mahmudul Haque, 40, died around 11am today (23 July) in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the burn and plastic surgery unit of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH).

He was a resident of the Goronkhain area under Kusumpura union in Patiya upazila.

Dr Rashed Ul Islam, assistant registrar of the Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit at CMCH, said around 60% to 65% of Mahmudul’s body had been burnt.

His respiratory tract had also been severely damaged in the fire, he said, adding that Mahmudul had been undergoing treatment in the ICU for nearly a week after being admitted in critical condition.

Around 10am on 16 July, 10 workers suffered burn injuries in an explosion and fire at the Confidence Salt Limited factory in the West Gomdandi area of Boalkhali municipality.

Five critically injured workers were sent to CMCH, while three others were sent to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka.

According to CMCH sources, all five workers admitted to the hospital have died.

Mohammad Nurul Alam, 45, and Didarul Alam, 32, died on the night of the incident. Around 65% of Nurul’s body and around 95% of Didarul’s had been burnt. Both had also suffered severe damage to their respiratory tracts.

Later, Ujjwal Das, 53, of the Pomra area in Rangunia, died on 19 July. Around 50% of his body had been burnt and his respiratory tract had also been damaged.

On the same night, Nur Nabi, 25, of Gomdandi area in Boalkhali, also died. Around 60% of his body had been burnt, along with damage to his respiratory tract.

Mahmudul Haque was the latest to die from injuries sustained in the fire.

Meanwhile, among the three workers taken to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka for advanced treatment, around 40% of Liton’s body, 35% of Jahed’s body and 20% of Selim’s body were burnt.

According to doctors, all three are still undergoing treatment there as their respiratory tracts were also burnt.