Over 200 Garment Workers Injured in Tongi as Earthquake Sparks Panic

At least around two hundred workers were injured while attempting to evacuate a garment factory in panic during the earthquake.

This incident occurred at Fashion Pulse Limited in the BSCIC area of Tongi at 10:38 in the morning on Friday (21 November), while the earthquake was taking place.

Earlier on Friday morning, tremors were felt across the country. The earthquake measured 5.7 on the Richter scale. Inside the factory, workers panicked and began to rush out. Many were trampled as the factory’s emergency exit gate was closed.

The injured workers, panicked during the earthquake, were later rescued and taken to Shaheed Ahsan Ullah Master General Hospital in Tongi and other nearby private facilities.

Workers at the factory reported that the factory was operational even on the weekly holiday on Friday. Several thousand workers were at work. When the earthquake began, almost all workers from the factory’s nine floors tried to exit simultaneously, resulting in injuries.

Israt Jahan Annie, a doctor at the emergency department of Shaheed Ahsan Ullah Master General Hospital in Tongi, said that within minutes after the earthquake, several hundred factory workers arrived at the hospital for treatment. Workers are still coming for treatment. Initial medical care has been provided. One worker whose condition deteriorated was referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

However, no factory officials agreed to speak to the media regarding the incident.

Khaborwala/TSN