A massive fire broke out on Saturday at the cargo complex of the international airport in Bangladesh’s capital, forcing authorities to suspend all flight operations as thick black smoke engulfed the area.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) said the blaze broke out in the afternoon at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, prompting the deployment of over two dozen firefighting units, with additional teams rushing to the scene.
“We received the information at 2.30pm and immediately dispatched our units to join the ones deployed at the airport,” fire service spokesperson Talha Bin Zasim said. Thirty-six firefighting units have been engaged, he added.
CAAB officials said the Air Force’s fire units had also joined the rescue campaign.
“Landings and takeoffs of all aircraft have been suspended until further notice. All our aircraft are confirmed safe,” a CAAB spokesperson said.
At least nine flights of different airlines scheduled to land in Dhaka were diverted to Shah Amanat International Airport in southeastern Chattogram and Osmani International Airport in northeastern Sylhet.
An Air India flight from Delhi to Dhaka was delayed for over two hours. “Due to the closure of Dhaka airport for all flight operations, flight AI237 scheduled to operate from Delhi to Dhaka on 18 October has been delayed. Consequently, the return flight AI238 set to operate from Dhaka to Delhi will also have a delayed departure,” an Air India spokesperson said.
According to flight tracking website flightradar24, the flight scheduled to depart at 5.20pm will now leave at 9.15pm. Air India said its ground teams in Delhi and Dhaka were providing immediate assistance to passengers and keeping them informed about the flight status.
An IndiGo flight operating from Delhi to Dhaka was reportedly diverted to Calcutta, but there was no official confirmation from the airline. According to flightradar24, the flight left Delhi airport at 12.53pm but was diverted to Calcutta after the Dhaka airport suspended operations. The IndiGo flight, which was scheduled to take off from Calcutta for Dhaka on Saturday evening, was delayed.
Local media reports said chemicals stored in the cargo zone posed a major challenge for firefighters. Eyewitnesses reported that personnel from the army, air force, navy, and Border Guard Bangladesh participated in the firefighting and rescue efforts.