Two Workers Die After Chattogram Salt Factory Blast

Two workers have died after suffering severe burn injuries in an explosion and fire at a salt processing factory in Boalkhali Upazila of Chattogram, while nine others remain under treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Burn Unit of Chattogram Medical College Hospital. The incident has renewed concerns over industrial safety standards, electrical hazards and risk management practices at manufacturing facilities across Bangladesh.

According to Sub-Inspector Alauddin Majumder, who is in charge of the police outpost at Chattogram Medical College Hospital, the two workers succumbed to their injuries on Thursday night (16 July) while undergoing treatment. The deceased were identified as Mohammad Alam of Yasin Auliya Mazar Bari in Hulain, Patiya Upazila, and Didarul Alam of Badan Ali Bari in Boalkhali.

The accident occurred at approximately 12:00 pm on Thursday at Confidence Salt Limited, located in West Gomdandi under Ward No. 8 of Boalkhali Municipality. An explosion was followed by a fire, leaving a total of 11 workers with burn injuries.

Hospital authorities said five of the injured were admitted to the ICU and four were placed in the specialised Burn Unit. The remaining two workers received primary treatment before being discharged from hospital.

The injured workers include Didarul Alam, Mohammad Zahid Hossain and Nur Nabi from Boalkhali; Ujjal Das from Rangunia; Mohammad Liton from the Sadarghat area of Chattogram city; Sirajul Islam from Lohagara; Zahidul Alam from Raozan; Mohammad Alam from Patiya; Mahmudul Haque; and Selim Uddin and Ahsanul Haque from Chandanaish.

Doctors described the condition of several patients as critical due to the extent of their burn injuries. Hospital sources said Didarul Alam had suffered burns to approximately 95 per cent of his body before his death, while Mohammad Alam sustained burns covering around 65 per cent of his body.

Among the surviving victims, Mahmudul Haque suffered burns to around 60 per cent of his body, Ujjal Das 50 per cent, Nur Nabi 45 per cent, Mohammad Liton 40 per cent, Zahidul Alam 35 per cent, Selim Uddin 20 per cent, and both Zahid Hossain and Sirajul Islam approximately 10 per cent each. Medical teams continue to monitor the patients closely, with those in critical condition remaining under intensive observation.

Police have provided a preliminary account of how the incident may have unfolded. Officer-in-Charge Mozaffar Hossain of Boalkhali Police Station said a large generator and several pieces of factory equipment had malfunctioned and were undergoing repairs at the time of the accident. Five welding machines were reportedly being operated simultaneously during the maintenance work.

According to the initial findings, the simultaneous use of multiple welding machines caused excessive electrical load, resulting in unstable voltage fluctuations. The fluctuating power supply is believed to have triggered a fire, after which two air-conditioning units exploded. Workers who were carrying out repairs nearby suffered severe burns in the ensuing blaze.

The officer added that police had attempted to contact the families of both the deceased and the injured workers. However, family members were at the hospital following the incident and could not be reached at their homes. He said legal action would be taken in accordance with existing laws should any formal complaint or case be filed.

Mohammad Azahar, Station Leader of the Boalkhali Fire Service Station, said firefighters responded immediately after receiving the emergency call. Before they reached the factory, however, local people had already brought the fire under control and transported the injured workers to hospital. As a result, the fire service was unable to take part directly in extinguishing the blaze.

Factory management had not issued any official statement at the time of reporting. Repeated attempts to contact Assistant General Manager Borhan Uddin were unsuccessful, as his mobile phone remained unanswered.

The tragedy has once again drawn attention to workplace safety in Bangladesh’s industrial sector, particularly during high-risk maintenance operations involving electrical equipment and welding work. Questions have emerged over whether appropriate safety protocols, electrical safeguards and maintenance procedures were properly followed before the repair work began.

Authorities are expected to conduct a detailed investigation to establish the exact cause of the explosion and determine whether any negligence or safety violations contributed to the incident. The findings are likely to play an important role in shaping future safety measures aimed at preventing similar workplace disasters and improving protection for industrial workers.