Families of all Tongi factory fire victims yet to get aid from authorities

The Gazipur district administration is yet to hand the financial aid to all the families of the victims of the fire that had gutted Tampaco Foils Ltd factory at Tongi's BSCIC industrial zone.

Gazipur Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 15 Sept 2016, 01:45 PM
Updated : 15 Sept 2016, 01:45 PM

Meanwhile, for the sixth day, Fire Service and other agencies continued their search in the debris for the 10 workers who have been missing since the incident, Tongi police OC Firoz Alam Talukder said.

Until Thursday, 34 people have been confirmed dead in the fire, which was ignited by a boiler explosion leading the factory building to collapse on Saturday. At least 40 others were also injured.

The family of Abdur Rashed, a rickshaw-puller who was found dead under the rubble on the first day, said they had not received any financial aid yet.

Bedena Akter, Rashed’s elder sister, said she had borrowed money to take her brother’s body back home in Mymensingh for burial.

“It took Tk 9000 to carry the corpse back home via ambulance. I had to borrow Tk 1000 to pay the driver. No aid will be given as Rashed was not a worker of the factory,” she told bdnews24.com.

She received Tk 8000 from the owners of the factory to carry the body back home.

However, she claimed that she had received neither Tk 20,000 as promised by the Gazipur district administration nor Tk 25,000 pledged by the owners of the factory.

Akbar Ali, Rashed’s neighbour, told bdnews24.com Rashed was passing by the factory on Saturday morning with 'Rozina' and 'Tahmina' on his rickshaw.

“All three of them were crushed under the collapsed roof when the explosion occurred. They were pronounced dead when taken to hospital,” he said.

Rozina, 21, and Tahmina, 18, were daughters of Hanif Mia from Habiganj.

The bodies were handed over to the families on Sunday.

Akbar said Rashed used to drive rickshaw in Tongi’s Jamai Bazar. He left behind a wife and three children.

Gazipur district administration Nezarat Deputy Collector Md Mamun Shibli said they had compensated families of two deceased and 13 injured so far.

“No-one else has showed up yet. The victims’ families need to contact the district administrator’s office with national ID cards and certificate from the chairman or mayor,” he said.