Massive blast in container depot kills 49

At least 49 people died and hundreds were injured after a fire sparked a huge chemical explosion at a shipping container depot in Bangladesh yesterday.

The toll was expected to rise, with some of the more than 300 people injured in serious condition, officials said. More bodies were inside the smoldering, wreckage-strewn facility, according to volunteers.

The fire started late on Saturday at the depot in Sitakunda, which stores about 4,000 containers, many of them filled with garments destined for Western retailers. The facility is about 40 kilometers from the major southern port of Chittagong.

Following the fire, containers holding chemicals exploded, engulfing firefighters, volunteers and journalists in an inferno, hurtling people and debris through the air, and turning the night sky a blazing orange.

Buildings kilometers away rattled with the force of the blast. Firefighters continued to douse pockets of fire with hoses yesterday.

Reazul Karim, operations director of the fire department, said that at least seven firefighters died and four others were missing.

Mujibur Rahman, the director of BM Container Depot, with about 600 workers, said that the cause of the initial fire was still unknown.

Mohammad Ali, 60, who runs a nearby grocery store, said: "The explosion sent fireballs into the sky. Fireballs were falling like rain. We were so afraid we immediately left our home to find refuge."

Lorry driver Tofael Ahmed was standing inside the depot when the explosion occurred.

"The explosion just threw me 10 meters from where I was standing," he said. "My hands and legs are burned."