The district’s chief administrator Muhammad Mominur Rahman told Xinhua news agency that the victims included three firefighters.
He said that at least 187 others, including seven policemen, suffered burn injuries in the devastating blaze that broke out at about 8 p.m. on Saturday at the private BM Container Depot Ltd, a Netherlands-Bangladesh joint venture company, in Sitakunda.
All the victims were rushed to different hospitals. Most of them suffered from mild to heavy burns, and the health condition of several others is also critical.
The district’s administration chief said as many as 13 firefighting units are currently trying to douse the flames.
As per preliminary information, the fire first erupted in one of the containers loaded with chemicals in the yard, which later spread.
The death toll in the devastating inferno is likely to rise, warned a fire official, who had worked throughout the night to douse the blaze.
TV reports early Sunday showed flames were still raging in some parts of the depot.
“It would take another two to three more hours for firefighters to completely douse the fire,” Rahman said.