Bangladesh mourns victims of deadly Dhaka blaze

Pope Francis joins Christians, Muslims and Hindus in praying for families of at least 70 who died.

A Muslim woman bursts into tears after failing to trace her brother who went missing after a deadly fire broke out in Dhaka on Feb. 21. Bangladeshi people observed state-level mourning on Feb. 25 for about 70 victims. (Photo by Piyas Biswas/ucanews.com)

Dhaka:  The national flag flew at half-mast and special prayers were held in religious places on Feb. 25 as Bangladeshis observed state-level mourning for dozens of victims of a deadly blaze in capital Dhaka.

Bangladesh’s parliament passed a “motion for mourning” on Feb. 24 to express grief and condolences to the families of at least 70 people who died in the fire at a residential-cum-business district in the old part of Dhaka on the night of Feb. 21.

Although the cause of the fire is still unclear, it is believed that it was sparked by a car’s gas cylinder or an electricity transformer near a residential building in the Chawk Bazar area of Dhaka.

The first blast triggered a chain of explosions in a warehouse storing inflammable chemicals before the fire engulfed the five-story building and quickly spread to buildings, shops, restaurants and vehicles on adjacent narrow streets.

Police said 70 bodies were recovered from the rubble after firefighters doused the fire and dozens of injured were taken to hospital.

About 19 bodies remain unidentified as they were so badly charred that they were beyond recognition, police said.

Pope Francis has offered condolences and prayers for the victims.

“His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the loss of life and of the injuries caused by the conflagration in the center of Dhaka,” said Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. “He extends his solidarity to all affected and prays especially for the repose of the deceased and for the healing of those injured.”

Christians are mourning the victims, said Father Kamal Corraya, parish priest of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Tejgaon in Dhaka.

“Our prayers for the eternal rest of departed souls and the recovery of the injured have been ongoing. All church organizations have observed mourning with prayers and hoisting the national flag half-mast,” Father Corraya told ucanews.com.

“Time and again the call was made for factories and warehouses with deadly chemicals to move out of the area. This time, after the loss of many lives, the government must make moves to remove chemicals.”

Govinda Chandra Pramanik, secretary of the Bangladesh Hindu Grand Alliance, said Hindus were also grieving for the victims.

“We are heavily saddened by such a tragedy, and the government must take the blame. The chemicals must be forced out of residential areas so that we don’t witness such a tragic loss of lives again,” Pramanik told ucanews.com.

Muslims have also prayed for victims and their families, said Maolana Amzad Hossain, a Shia Muslim imam from the southeastern port city of Chittagong.

“After the tragic news spread, Muslims gathered for special prayers for the victims and also during Jumma prayers. Today, we are holding a milad mahfil (Islamic prayer meeting for departed souls) to pray for the victims and for their families,” Hossain told ucanews.com.

The cleric said his family has been involved in chemical business in Dhaka for decades but moved to a new location after a deadly fire in a chemical warehouse in the Nimtoli area of old Dhaka in 2010.

The Nimtoli blaze left 124 people dead and sparked a public outcry to force more than 800 factories and warehouses using inflammable chemicals out of Dhaka. To date, only a handful of factories and storehouses have shifted.

Source: UCAN