One dies, 20 in critical condition

One of the Ashulia factory fire victims died while undergoing treatment at Intensive Care Unit of the Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital early Wednesday.
The victim was identified as, Akhi Akhter, 16, daughter of Ashraful Islam, resident of Mithapukur in Rangpur. 
Akhi suffered 30 per cent burns in the fire that broke out at Colour Match BD Ltd, a gas-lighter factory, at Ashulia in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon. 
At least 30 female workers, mostly minor girls, were burnt in the fire.
So far, 21 of the fire victims, including Akhi, have been referred to DMCH after receiving primary treatment at Enam Medical College Hospital and Centre for Women and Child healthcare in Savar.
They were admitted to ICU and high-dependency care unit of Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of the hospital and later, nine of them were shifted to Red-unit ward due to shortage of beds in the ICU. 
Partha Shankar Paul, resident physician of BPSU, told New Age that all the victims were still in a critical condition.
Earlier, burn unit chief professor Abul Kalam said that all the victims were considered to be major burns patients as their respiratory systems were damaged and they suffered 12 to 70 per cent burns.
The victims’ families have received Tk 15,000 each from the government. 
The parliament member of Savar, Enamur Rahman, distributed the money among the families on Wednesday morning. 
Giasuddin, father of one of the victims, Sonia Akhter, 16, said that the money helped him provide the patient and her attendants with food and other necessities.
Sonia received 22 per cent burns in the fire. 
Mohammad Zakir Hossain, deputy inspector general of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, told New Age that they had no previous record of the factory.
The factory building was a poultry farm and later, the owner turned it into the gas lighter factory, Zakir said, adding that the illegal factory had no license of fire brigade and industry ministry.
‘If we were informed earlier, we could take action against the owner,’ he added.
Ashulia police officer-in-charge Ahsanul Kabir said that no case was filed in this connection so far.
The police conducted a drive to arrest the factory owner on Tuesday but he was absconding, he added. 

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