On the 5th local time, in southern Bangladesh, firefighters were trying to control a fire in a container warehouse.

Firefighters, volunteers and journalists were engulfed in flames as the fire reportedly caused containers containing chemicals to explode. It is still unclear what caused the initial fire. The Bangladeshi government said it would conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the fire.

At least seven firefighters were killed and at least four others were missing, said Reazul Karim, a Bangladeshi fire department official.

Bangladeshi officials said relief efforts were underway and the death toll was expected to rise.

Involving multiple shipping companies and more than 4,000 containers

In the middle of the night on the 4th local time, a fire broke out in a container warehouse in the southern region of Bangladesh. About 4,000 containers were stored in the warehouse, many of which were full of clothing destined for Western retailers.

Fire official Jalal Ahmed said the fire broke out at the BM Container Depot Ltd in Sitakunda, about 20km from the main port of Chittagong, before midnight. Hundreds of firefighters rushed to the scene to participate in the rescue, but an hour after the fire broke out, the scene caused a huge explosion - a series of explosions of several containers containing chemical products. Until the morning of the 5th, emergency personnel were still trying to put out the fire, and military doctors had been dispatched to assist in the treatment.

BM Container Depot is a Dutch-Bangladesh joint venture Inland Container Depot (ICD) located in Hitakunda, Chittagong region, Bangladesh. It started operation in early May 2011 as a bonded area for import and export container cargo loading and unloading. 20 kilometers from Chittagong Port, it has various modern facilities for storing import and export cargo and empty/laden containers.

The shipping companies that the yard cooperates with are: Maersk, US President APL, Hapag-Lloyd, OOCL, Ocean Network ONE, and CMA CGM.

About 90 percent of Bangladesh's annual trade of about $100 billion passes through Chittagong. The main port has gradually resumed operations since the end of last year as the global economy recovers from the pandemic.