Flight operations at Bangladesh’s main international airport were severely disrupted on Saturday after a massive fire broke out at the cargo terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, officials said.
The blaze, which began in the afternoon near Gate 8 at around 2.30 pm, sent thick plumes of smoke billowing into the sky, forcing authorities to suspend operations and divert multiple flights.
“Thirty-six firefighting units are working to douse the flames,” said Talha Bin Zasim, an officer at the Fire Service and Civil Defence Media Cell, in a statement to Reuters. Initially, nine units were dispatched, with fifteen more on the way, Talha Bin Jashim, a Fire Service spokesman, said. Reinforcements later increased the total number of units battling the fire to 36.
Airport official Masudul Hasan confirmed that all aircraft were safe but said operations had been suspended as a precaution. Both domestic and international flights were affected.
Several flights were diverted due to the blaze. An IndiGo flight from Delhi to Dhaka was sent to Kolkata, and an Air Arabia flight from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates was rerouted to Chittagong. A Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong was seen circling in the sky after being unable to land at Dhaka, officials said.
Air India’s Delhi-Dhaka flight AI237 was also delayed as the airport remained closed. “Consequently, the return flight AI238 from Dhaka to Delhi will also depart late,” the airline said in a statement, adding that ground teams in Delhi and Dhaka are offering immediate assistance to affected passengers.
The Bangladesh Army, Navy, and Air Force joined the Fire Service in efforts to control the blaze. Authorities reported no immediate casualties, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
This is the third major fire incident in Bangladesh this week. On Tuesday, a fire at a garment factory and an adjacent chemical warehouse killed at least 16 people, and another blaze on Thursday destroyed a factory building in Chittagong’s export processing zone.
Source: India Today