Gazipur: Rescue operation at the devastated Tampaco Foils Ltd, a packaging factory at Tongi in Gazipur that collapsed after a fire incident on Satuday, will continue even on the Eid day, says Inter Services Public Relation Directorate director Lt Colonel Mohammad Rashidul Hasan.

The rescue operation will continue on a small scale on the day of Eid-ul-Azha on Tuesday, he said.

Replying to a query, Rashidul said it cannot be said right now as to how long the rescue operation will continue.

He was speaking at a press briefing at the spot at about 2:20pm after a team of Bangladesh Army joined the rescue operation.

Death toll rises

The death toll from the inferno climbed to 33 with the recovery of four more bodies from the rubble on Monday.

The deceased could not be identified yet.

Rescuers pulled out two bodies from the wreckage at about 6:45am while two others at about 1:30pm, said Rashidul Hasan.

On Sunday, the rescue team retrieved four bodies from the debris, raising the toll to 29.

Twenty-four people were killed and around 50 others injured after the fire broke out at ‘Tampaco Foils Ltd’ in Tongi BSCIC Industrial Area in the early hours of Saturday.

Of the injured, Ripon Das, 30, who suffered burn injuries in the fatal fire, succumbed to his injuries at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) in the capital on early Sunday.

Case filed

Meanwhile, a murder case was filed against eight people, including factory owner Syed Md Mokbul Hossain, with Tongi Police Station on Sunday night, said Firoz Talukder, officer-in-charge of the police station.

Abdul Quader Patwary, father of deceased worker Mohammad Hossain Jewel, filed the case, he said.

The seven other accused are Mokbul’s wife Parvin, factory managing director Tanvir Ahmed, general manager Shafiqur Rahman, manager (administration) Monir Hossain, manager (general) Samir Ahmed, manager Hanif and DMD Alamgir Hossain.

However, factory owner Mokbul, also a former lawmaker, went into hiding after the incident.

Reason of fire

Addressing the press briefing, the ISPR director also said there was a stock of 25 tonnes of chemicals at the factory when the fire broke out on Saturday.

About the reason behind the fire, he said they are yet to get sure about it.

It was said that gas leakage caused the fire at the flexible and tobacco packaging factory in the early hours of Saturday.

The devastating fire incident led to the collapse of the four-storey factory.

Around 150 workers were in the factory building when the ‘boiler went off’ but factory owner Syed Mokbul Hossain, also an ex-lawmaker of Sylhet-6 constituency, told reporters on Saturday that 75 workers were working in his factory on Friday night.