Flight operations at Bangladesh’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport came to a standstill on Saturday after a massive fire broke out in the cargo complex, triggering a large-scale emergency response from multiple agencies.
The blaze, which reportedly started at the cargo village near Gate No. 8 in the afternoon, sent plumes of smoke billowing over the capital.
Fire Service and Civil Defence officials said at least 36 firefighting units were deployed to contain the flames.
Authorities confirmed that all aircraft remained safe as operations were suspended. “Further updates will be shared as the situation evolves,” an airport spokesperson said.
Teams from the Bangladesh Fire Service, Navy, and Air Force joined the effort, coordinated by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
Two platoons from the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were also pressed into service to assist with rescue and containment operations.
Sources at the airport said several incoming flights were diverted to Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram and Osmani International Airport in Sylhet as a precautionary measure.
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Preliminary reports indicated that a section storing international courier goods suffered extensive damage.
Nasir Uddin, director of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association, told The Business Standard that the affected area also contained a chemical warehouse, which may have intensified the fire.
The incident adds to growing concerns over Bangladesh’s fire safety infrastructure.
It follows a string of recent industrial blazes, including one earlier this week that killed at least 16 people at a building housing a garment unit and chemical godown in Dhaka’s Mirpur area.
Another fire in Chattogram’s Export Processing Zone on Thursday took 17 hours and 25 fire units to bring under control.
