What happened to the Gazi fire victims?

It is quite disconcerting that, even after the passing of two months, the fallout of the deadly Gazi Auto Tyres blaze in Narayanganj rumbles on thanks largely to the lethargic response of the authorities. As per a report by this daily, there is still no clear answer as to the fate of the 182 individuals, including women and children, reported missing since the catastrophe. As a result, their families have been left in the dark, waiting for closure that remains elusive.

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Gazi factory fire: A wake-up call for intelligence reform

The six-storey factory building was one of the many industrial sites that came under attack following the ouster of the Awami League government on August 5. Left unguarded in the absence of law enforcement, it endured repeated looting and vandalism and was ultimately set ablaze on August 25. That day, amid the chaos and clashes among intruders, many individuals who had entered became trapped when the fire spread, with the gate allegedly locked from outside. Due to the presence of flammable goods all around and the building's massive size, it took firefighters about five days to fully extinguish the fire.

The disastrous sequence of events that led to this tragedy, with its total human casualties still unaccounted for, cannot be seen just from an economic or political perspective. Those who vanished that day deserve the same focus as victims of other industrial disasters.

Since then, we have had reports covering the loss suffered by the factory, especially its 2,000-plus workforce, the impact of its closure on the tyre industry, and the blow that such industrial attacks around that time delivered to our economy, from which we have yet to recover. But what about those who went missing or their poor families? What about the people who orchestrated the arson attack? The disastrous sequence of events that led to this tragedy, with its total human casualties still unaccounted for, cannot be seen just from an economic or political perspective. Those who vanished that day deserve the same focus as victims of other industrial disasters.

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Attacks on businesses must be prevented

Reportedly, the government has not yet made any visible headway in locating them or their remains. Even though the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is analysing DNA samples collected from charred remains found in the ruins, the process has been excruciatingly slow, with no clear communication established with the families. After contacting 32 families of the missing persons and visiting some of their homes, our correspondent has found that most families, having lost their breadwinners, are living in dire straits. Some have been forced to return to their villages, while others held funerals in absentia having lost hope of recovering the bodies of their loved ones.

The persistent emotional and economic toll on the affected families is unthinkable. We urge the interim government to urgently address their plight by ramping up efforts to recover all remains, ensure rapid DNA identification, and financially support the affected families. While there are some safety concerns about undertaking investigations in the heavily-hit building, the lack of urgency so far shown by the administration is unacceptable.