Around 4:30 p.m. (1030 GMT), the blast rocked the oxygen unit of the Sheema steel re-rolling mill in the industrial town of Sitakunda, trapping “many workers” within the plant.
On Saturday, an explosion at an oxygen plant outside the port city of Chittagong in Bangladesh claimed the lives of at least five people and injured dozens more, according to officials.

According to local police chief Tofael Ahmed, the blast shook the oxygen unit of the Sheema steel re-rolling mill in the industrial town of Sitakunda around 4:30 p.m. (1030 GMT), trapping “many workers” inside the plant.

He added, “The fire brigade has put out the fire and they have rescued the people from the plant.”
According to district administrator Mohammad Fakhruzzaman, the explosion caused at least five deaths and 25 injuries.

Witness Muslim Uddin said the blast was “so boisterous and crushing” that it shook all private houses nearby. Many homes’ glass was broken. According to him, “The entire area went dark.”

The explosion has prompted a government investigation.

In Bangladesh, where factory authorities lack effective safety enforcement, industrial explosions and fires are common.

More than 50 people were killed in a container depot fire and subsequent explosion in the same industrial town in June of last year.