The death toll in the Prime Patent Plastic Limited factory fire in Keraniganj rose to 22 after an injured died at the Intensive Care Unit of the Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute in Dhaka yesterday. Sahezul Islam Shaju, 19, succumbed to his burns around 8:15am, confirmed Dr Samanta Lal Sen, chief coordinator of the Burn Units. Shaju had been undergoing treatment at the institute with 70 per cent burns since the fire incident at the factory in Chunkutia of Keringanj, he added. Shaju, the second child of Nazrul Islam and Sahela Begum, was from Nageshwari upazila of Kurigram district.

Around 10 victims are still being treated at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute. Two more injured are on life support at the institute, while eight are in a critical condition at the DMCH. On December 11, a fire ravaged the plastic factory, killing one worker on the spot, while 31 were taken to the DMCH with severe burn injuries. Eleven of the injured were moved to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn And Plastic Surgery and eight were shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital. Victims’ relatives and doctors said most of the victims were aged between 15 and 40 and had received up to 100 per cent burn injuries. Many of them had suffered inhalation burns.  On December 13, Samanta Lal Sen said none of the burn victims’ faces could be recognised, while their respiratory tracts were also badly burnt. All of them had burn injuries ranging from 60 per cent to 100 per cent in their bodies, he said. On investigation, Fire Service and Civil Defence found that the factory owner had continued to operate the factory while neglecting fire hazard issues. There had also been fire at the factory in the last several years.

Locals have alleged that the authorities concerned didn’t bother about the safety measures even though the factory had been producing disposable plastic cups and plates for around 10 years. The plastic factory at Chunkutia had been operating without permission for years. It had a single gate for entry and exit and no emergency exits, said survivors and fire officials. The Keraniganj upazila administration sealed the factory after the incident on December 13.