Bangladesh’s death toll has risen to at least 49 as a result of a fire that triggered a massive chemical explosion at a shipping container warehouse, officials said.

And the toll is likely to rise, with more than 300 injured, some of whom officials say are in serious condition.

Volunteers removed the corpses from inside the facility, where the wreckage of the containers was scattered.

Eyewitnesses said they “saw bodies that have not yet been recovered at a facility that includes about four thousand containers, most of which hold clothes waiting to be shipped to Western retailers, which is located near the major southern port of Chittagong. .”

The fire broke out on Saturday night in Sitakonda, about 40 km from Chittagong, where several containers of chemicals exploded.

After the fire broke out, containers of chemicals exploded and firefighters, volunteers and journalists were trapped in the flames, injuring people and scattering debris. The explosion rocked residential buildings a few kilometers from the site.

The region’s chief medical officer, Elias Chaudhry, said in a statement to the French Press Agency (AFP) that “the death toll will rise as rescue operations have not yet been completed.”

“At least seven firefighters have died and four more are missing,” said Riyad Al-Karim, head of the fire department’s operations department.

In turn, former firefighter Bharat Chandra told the agency: “In the entire history of the fire department, we have not lost so many fire personnel in any incident.”

“The cause of the fire is not yet known, with about 600 people working at the facility,” said Mujibur Rahman, director of BM Container Store.

And “the container storage contains hydrogen peroxide,” according to fire commander General Maan Al-Din to reporters, and he continued, “We have not yet been able to control the fire due to the presence of this chemical.”