Bangladesh: Massive fire breaks out at Dhaka airport's cargo terminal, all flights grounded - Watch
Visuals from the site of the blaze showed the vast stretch of sky over the Dhaka airport filled by plumes of black smoke. All flights were suspended following the incident
A massive fire broke out at a section of the Cargo Village of Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday, leading to the suspension of all flights. The usually clear blue expanse of sky over the airport was shrouded in thick black smoke as flames continued to rage.
Officials said the blaze began near near Gate 8 around 2:30 pm. A total of 36 units were at work to douse the flames, a personnel from the fire service – Talha Bin Jashim said, The Daily Star reported.
Multiple netizens also took to X to post videos of the inferno, with many of them stating that firefighting teams are currently at the spot.
How the fire spread?
According to several Bangladeshi media outlets, the incident occurred around 2:30 pm when the airport’s cargo village – which is used for storing imported goods – caught fire. The executive director of the airport, Md Masudul Hasan Masud, reportedly confirmed the situation, stating that emergency measures were underway, as per several Bangladeshi media.
Bangladesh Fire Service, two fire units from the Bangladesh Air Force, and the Bangladesh Civil Aviation are currently working to extinguish the fire.
Which flights have been affected?
Following the fire, all flights to and from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport were temporarily suspended. As per local media reports, several inbound flights were diverted to other airports such as the Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram and Osmani International Airport in Sylhet.
An IndiGo flight from Dhaka to Chennai was diverted to Kolkata – while another flight of Biman Bangladesh was cancelled.
When will ops resume?
According to The Daily Star, the airfield at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka will remain closed until 6:00 pm, as per the public relations officer at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram.
The deadly fire comes days after the Bangladesh Air Force jet crash that left at least 27 people dead.
Bangladesh jet crash
In July, an F-7 BGI fighter jet of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed directly onto the campus of Milestone School & College in Dhaka's Uttara locality — while classes were in full swing.
The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Towkir Islam Sagar, was on his first solo fighter mission when the aircraft went down at 1:06 pm local time, just moments after take-off. Though he was rushed to hospital, Towkir Islam Sagar succumbed to his injuries.
The Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR)'s issued a statement about the crash – stating that the jet collapsed due to a mechanical fault after taking off from the Bangladesh Air Force Base AK Khandaker in Kurmitola.