DHAKA: Bangladeshi traders on Sunday assessed heavy losses after a devastating fire tore through the cargo complex of the country's main international airport, as the government opened an investigation into possible arson.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) gave an initial assessment of "devastating" direct and indirect costs of as much as $1 billion.
Firefighters had brought the blaze under control and flight operations resumed late Saturday, airport executive director S. M. Ragib Samad told AFP, after thick black smoke swept across the runway, forcing authorities to briefly suspend flights.
But Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport's cargo complex -- which stores fabrics, garment accessories, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and other imports -- was left in ruins.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) also said it was assessing the damage.
Bangladesh is the world's second-biggest garment manufacturer, and textile and garment production accounts for about 80 percent of exports.
"We have witnessed a devastating scene inside. The entire import section has been reduced to ashes," said Faisal Samad, director of the BGMEA.
"The entire import section has been reduced to ashes. We fear the losses might well exceed $1 billion."
He said around 200 to 250 factories export products by air every day.
'Resolute response'
Smoke was still rising from the charred remains on Sunday.
"The fire spread to every corner -- I don't know if any consignment could escape," said one exhausted firefighter, whose uniform was greyed and hands blackened.
"We were supposed to deliver the consignments to our clients today. All burnt to ashes, I guess," said importer Anand Kumar Ghosh, who said he had lost 52 consignments.
Moinul Ahsan, a senior official at the health directorate, said four people had been taken to hospital with minor injuries.
The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.
But the government said it was aware of growing public concern following a string of major fires in recent days -- including in Chittagong's export processing zone and a chemical and garment factory in Dhaka, where 16 people were killed.
The government said the security services were investigating all incidents "thoroughly", and warned that "any credible evidence of sabotage or arson will be met with a swift and resolute response."
"No act of criminality or provocation will be allowed to disrupt public life or the political process," it said, urging calm.
The South Asian nation of 170 million people has been in political turmoil since Sheikh Hasina was ousted as prime minister by a student-led revolt in August 2024, and is gearing up for hotly contested elections slated for February 2026.
"If these fires prove to be acts of sabotage, and their aim is to sow panic and division, they'll succeed only if we allow fear to overtake our reason and our resolve," the statement added.
"Bangladesh has faced many challenges before, and together we will face any threats to our new democracy with unity, calm and determination. We have nothing to fear but fear itself."