Dhaka: Home Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury announced today that experts from England, Australia, China, and Turkey have been invited to investigate the recent fire at the Cargo Village of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka. "We have invited four countries to come for investigating to see if there was any mismanagement here," he stated to journalists after inspecting the site.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Home Adviser emphasized the importance of having specialists from these countries to thoroughly probe the incident. The experts will work to identify both the cause of the fire and those responsible for the incident. The fire, which broke out at around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, was eventually brought under control after nearly 27 hours of efforts, concluding at 4:55 p.m. on Sunday.
The Home Adviser noted that the airport's Civil Aviation fire fighting engines arrived at the scene within 30 seconds of the fire's eruption, with Fire Service and Civil Defence teams following within 20 minutes. The rapid spread of the fire was attributed to the presence of flammable materials at the site, which also contributed to the challenges faced in controlling the blaze. Despite the extended timeframe, the Home Adviser assured that the situation was managed effectively, and the airport resumed operations by 9:00 p.m. on Saturday.
In addition, the Home Adviser mentioned ongoing efforts to reduce passport fees for what he referred to as "remittance warriors," highlighting a commitment to addressing issues faced by citizens working abroad.