Deadly blast rips through oxygen plant in congested Sitakunda area

Locals think an oxygen tank exploded, flinging heavy metal debris as far as 500 yards

Nurul Alam, a resident of Sitakunda in Chattogram, has been a security guard in the Kadam Rasul area for many years.

He patrolled the factories and homes next to the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway, but not anymore. Just thinking about how dangerous the area has become gives him a chill now.

“The factories have been built without any gaps between them. There are many homes also. Our lives aren’t safe here,” he said after a blast at Sheema Group’s oxygen plant rocked the area on Saturday night.

The explosion was so intense that it flung heavy metal debris as far as 500 yards, killing a man sitting in a firewood and charcoal shop.

Rescuers pulled out the bodies of five other victims from the factory.

At least 20 others were injured, some seriously.

The area near the highway has eight to 10 steel mills, oil refineries, other factories, and homes.

The blast heavily damaged the nearby buildings as well. The factories closed after the explosion.

Aresh Tripura, a worker at Safa Steel Re-rolling Mill, half a kilometre from Sheema Group’s plant, said the impact of the blast shattered the glasses of Safa.

Moslem Uddin, a resident of the area, rushed out of his home, thinking an earthquake had struck the area. Then he saw fire and smoke at Sheema Group’s plant.

It took the firefighters less than an hour to douse the fire as the structures in the plant were mostly made of steel frames, which were shattered by the blast.

Sheema Group sells the oxygen and acetylene from the plant mainly to the shipbreaking yards of Sitakunda.

In fact, the founder of the group, Mohammad Shafi, started his business with a shipbreaking yard – S Trading.

His son Mamun Uddin is the managing director now. Mamun’s brothers Ashraf Uddin and Parvez Uddin are also involved in the family business.

Sheema Group used the gas from the plant in its steel mill – Sheema Auto Re-rolling Mills Ltd, with the brand name SARM.

Mamun Uddin could not be reached for comments over the mobile phone.

Abul Bashar Mohammed Fakhruzzaman, the deputy commissioner of Chattogram district, said they were trying to trace the firm's owners as no one involved with the plant was found at the site after the blast.

“This place was used for refilling cylinders. The cause of the blast cannot be confirmed now. We’ve formed a committee to investigate that.”

After speaking to locals, Fire Service and Civil Defence officials suspect the two oxygen cylinders at the plant exploded.

Abdul Maleque, an assistant director of the fire service, said they saw many cylinders at the plant.

Asked if the factory was built and run following safety rules, he said nothing could be confirmed without investigation because the site was devastated.

It was not clear how many people were inside during the plant.

Nadira Banu, additional superintendent of industrial police, said they heard 50 people worked at the factory in each of three shifts. Locals said the factory remained open round the clock.

“We’ve heard that four workers were refuelling cylinders, and the others were loading or unloading those,” Nadira said.

But a worker of the factory, who requested anonymity, said 10 workers worked at the factory in each shift.