A devastating fire at Bangladesh's main airport has left experts estimating damages of over $1 billion. The blaze, which took 27 hours to extinguish, ravaged the logistics section of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Saturday.
The inferno destroyed a significant portion of imported goods, including clothing and raw materials, that were stored in the airport's cargo village. This has sent shockwaves through Bangladesh's garment sector, which generates around $40 billion annually and accounts for over 10% of the country's GDP.
Business leaders are now facing the prospect of losing millions due to the destruction of "essential" samples for securing new buyers. The damage could put some businesses at risk and may even impact their chances of winning future contracts.
Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing, but conspiracy theories have already begun circulating online, suggesting that all three major fires in Bangladesh within a week were pre-planned. While this is speculation for now, officials have vowed to take immediate action if any evidence of sabotage or arson is found.
The incident has raised concerns about the safety and security measures in place at the airport, particularly given the frequency of large fires in densely populated areas like Dhaka. The country's weak infrastructure and lax enforcement on safety regulations are often cited as contributing factors to such incidents.
As the full extent of the losses becomes clear, Bangladesh's garment association has called for all its members to submit a list of damaged goods to determine the total cost of the damages. With millions at stake, this fire has left many in the industry holding their breath, hoping that they will be able to weather the storm.
The inferno destroyed a significant portion of imported goods, including clothing and raw materials, that were stored in the airport's cargo village. This has sent shockwaves through Bangladesh's garment sector, which generates around $40 billion annually and accounts for over 10% of the country's GDP.
Business leaders are now facing the prospect of losing millions due to the destruction of "essential" samples for securing new buyers. The damage could put some businesses at risk and may even impact their chances of winning future contracts.
Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing, but conspiracy theories have already begun circulating online, suggesting that all three major fires in Bangladesh within a week were pre-planned. While this is speculation for now, officials have vowed to take immediate action if any evidence of sabotage or arson is found.
The incident has raised concerns about the safety and security measures in place at the airport, particularly given the frequency of large fires in densely populated areas like Dhaka. The country's weak infrastructure and lax enforcement on safety regulations are often cited as contributing factors to such incidents.
As the full extent of the losses becomes clear, Bangladesh's garment association has called for all its members to submit a list of damaged goods to determine the total cost of the damages. With millions at stake, this fire has left many in the industry holding their breath, hoping that they will be able to weather the storm.
. Bangladesh's garment sector is already struggling with low wages and poor working conditions, so this just makes things worse. The fact that it happened in the logistics section and destroyed all those goods is really unlucky. But at the same time, people are speculating about sabotage or arson... I don’t know if it’s a good idea to jump to conclusions 
. Has Bangladesh been having some safety issues lately? It seems like they need to take a closer look at their airport security and make sure everything is okay. 
also, i wonder how they're gonna recover from this... $40 billion a year is a big chunk of change. and its not just the businesses thats gonna be affected but also the entire supply chain 
anyway, fingers crossed that everyone can bounce back from this 
? I'm not saying it's not suspicious that three fires in one week, but let's not jump to conclusions yet. The fact is, Bangladesh needs to improve its safety infrastructure ASAP 
. $40 billion a year is a lot of money and this fire could've been avoided if they had better systems in place. Can you imagine if it was a smaller airport? This is like, super scary for the businesses that rely on those imports 
Those business leaders are probably counting down the days until next quarter's results 
I mean, I get it, infrastructure & regulations can be super weak, but come on, a whole week of major fires in a row? That's like a ticking time bomb 
. hope they get to the bottom of it and fix those safety measures for good 
. fingers crossed for bangladesh's economy! 
$40 billion is a huge amount and it's just devastating to think of all those businesses struggling now. The fact that some people are speculating about sabotage online is really concerning 
. I've seen how poorly constructed buildings can be in Dhaka and it's just a matter of time before something like this happens again 
anyway, hope all the businesses can recover from this. these "essential" samples are crucial for them to get new orders and contracts... 
and now they're losin out on millions cuz of this inferno... it's so not good 
. need 2 improve safety measures ASAP! 
. It's like, what's the point of having safety regulations if they're just gonna get ignored 
.
The infrastructure here is seriously lacking, and it's just a matter of time before something big happens 
.
and I'm thinking how devastating it must be for the garment sector 
those conspiracy theories online are already getting out of hand 
. This is like a one-two punch to the economy, first it's COVID-19 and now this. Bangladesh's garment sector is already struggling and now they gotta deal with this too 
. This fire was a major wake-up call, time for the government to step up its safety game and make sure something like this never happens again 
