Wednesday, 22 October, 2025
The once-bustling import section of Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport’s Cargo Village now lies in stunned silence after Saturday’s devastating blaze, which brought the nation’s busiest air freight hub to a halt, shattered trade networks, and left exporters grappling with losses of unprecedented scale.
Though limited operations have tentatively resumed, the once-crowded warehouses—where hundreds of importers, exporters, and clearing agents once jostled daily—now resemble a disaster zone filled with charred debris, disbelief, and despair.
The inferno gutted a massive stockpile of goods and raw materials, disrupting supply chains across critical sectors including readymade garments, pharmaceuticals, electronics, telecommunications, and small industries. Traders describe the damage as “catastrophic”, warning that the economic fallout could extend far beyond the immediate destruction.
“Their rhythm was shattered on Saturday by a fire that destroyed goods worth millions of dollars and sent shockwaves through the entire export chain,” said one airport official, surveying the smouldering ruins. Civil Aviation Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin had promised an initial assessment “within an hour”, but three days later, no official report has been released. At least four inter-ministerial and agency-level investigations are now underway, but the scale of the loss remains staggering.
Clearing and forwarding (C&F) agents have begun compiling their own data. “We’ve sent forms to all members to report what cargo they had and how much was lost. Everyone is filling them out,” said C&F agent Imran Hossain. The Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB) on Monday estimated that total losses could reach $1 billion, a figure that underscores the blaze’s devastating economic impact.
At a city hotel press briefing, EAB President Mohammad Hatem said: “Direct losses include the goods destroyed, but the bigger blow lies in the disruption of exports caused by the loss of raw materials. Market positions will be lost, buyer confidence shaken, and international contracts jeopardised. We estimate the total loss at around $1 billion, or Tk 12,000 crore.”
The pharmaceutical sector has been hit particularly hard. Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Industry Association Secretary Zakir Hossain said raw materials worth Tk 2 billion were destroyed. “Immediate shortages may not occur,” he said, “but within three to six months, supply chains will be under severe strain.” He urged the government to step up fire safety and security measures in all export-import zones to safeguard global buyer confidence.
“Their rhythm was shattered on Saturday by a fire that destroyed goods worth millions of dollars and sent shockwaves through the entire export chain,” said one airport official, surveying the smouldering ruins. Civil Aviation Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin had promised an initial assessment “within an hour”, but three days later, no official report has been released.
Representatives from the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) and the Pharmaceutical and Medicine Industry Association echoed similar concerns. Hatem denounced what he called a “total failure” of the fire detection and suppression systems at one of the country’s most sensitive logistics facilities. “The damage goes far beyond what was physically burnt,” he said. “Finished products that were to be made from burnt raw materials can no longer be exported. That’s the deeper economic wound.”
BTMA President Shawkat Aziz Russel went further, suggesting that “geopolitical forces” could be trying to undermine Bangladesh’s growing trade influence after recent tariff arrangements with the United States. “Certain quarters are trying to destabilise our export sector,” he alleged. “This will not only hurt our economy but could tarnish our credibility in global trade.”
Industry leaders fear the damage to Bangladesh’s reputation as a reliable supplier may linger long after the warehouses are rebuilt. “This fire in such a critical export facility will raise serious concerns among foreign buyers,” Hatem warned. “Our reliability is on trial now.”
The Cargo Village is a vital artery of Bangladesh’s export economy, handling shipments for nearly every major sector. The readymade garment (RMG) industry depends on it for fast deliveries of spare parts, raw materials, and product samples. The pharmaceutical industry uses it to import active ingredients and export temperature-sensitive medicines. The facility is also indispensable for exporters of frozen foods, agricultural produce, and perishable goods, where any delay can lead to total loss. “If these goods aren’t shipped on time, they’re ruined,” Hatem noted grimly.
Two days after the blaze, operations remain far from normal. The National Board of Revenue (NBR) issued temporary clearance guidelines on Sunday, but most work continues manually and at a fraction of normal capacity. “An emergency alternative handling system is running, but without digital coordination, everything is painfully slow,” said an airline cargo officer. “No new freighter has landed since the fire.”
Authorities expect limited flights to resume Tuesday, with a Cathay Pacific freighter from Hong Kong carrying about 400 tonnes of imports—the first international cargo flight since the disaster. The goods will be stored temporarily in an open area beside the export complex, as officials race to set up a makeshift shed with support from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). Customs and airline personnel are now working round the clock from temporary offices to maintain a minimum flow of imports.
Md Khairul Alam Bhuiyan Mithu, vice-president of the C&F Agents Association, said: “Under the emergency plan, cargo clearance can continue 24 hours a day. Some traders have retrieved goods that survived the fire.”
Saturday’s blaze, which broke out in the import section around 2:30 p.m., spread rapidly through adjoining warehouses before being brought under control after 27 hours of relentless effort by 37 fire units, assisted by police, Ansar, RAB, APBn, and the armed forces. The destruction was so extensive that much of the cargo village remains cordoned off for safety inspections.
The Department of Fire Service and Civil Defence has formed a five-member investigation committee, which must submit its findings within 15 working days. Separate probes have been launched by the Civil Aviation Ministry, the Finance Ministry’s Internal Resources Division, and Biman Bangladesh Airlines, which oversees ground handling at the airport.
In light of a string of recent industrial fires—in Ashulia, Mirpur, Chattogram EPZ, and Incepta Pharmaceuticals—the government has also formed a seven-member “core committee” led by the home secretary, expected to report by 5 November.
As traders return to the charred cargo compound, the sense of disbelief is palpable. Many stand silently beside the ruins of their consignments, uncertain how long recovery will take or who will bear responsibility. For now, Bangladesh’s vital export artery remains paralysed — its wounds both physical and reputational — as the nation confronts yet another reminder of its fragile industrial safety culture.
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The once-bustling import section of Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport’s Cargo Village now lies in stunned silence after Saturday’s devastating blaze, which brought the nation’s busiest air freight hub to a halt, shattered trade networks, and left exporters grappling with losses of unprecedented scale.
Though limited operations have tentatively resumed, the once-crowded warehouses—where hundreds of importers, exporters, and clearing agents once jostled daily—now resemble a disaster zone filled with charred debris, disbelief, and despair.
The inferno gutted a massive stockpile of goods and raw materials, disrupting supply chains across critical sectors including readymade garments, pharmaceuticals, electronics, telecommunications, and small industries. Traders describe the damage as “catastrophic”, warning that the economic fallout could extend far beyond the immediate destruction.
“Their rhythm was shattered on Saturday by a fire that destroyed goods worth millions of dollars and sent shockwaves through the entire export chain,” said one airport official, surveying the smouldering ruins. Civil Aviation Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin had promised an initial assessment “within an hour”, but three days later, no official report has been released. At least four inter-ministerial and agency-level investigations are now underway, but the scale of the loss remains staggering.
Clearing and forwarding (C&F) agents have begun compiling their own data. “We’ve sent forms to all members to report what cargo they had and how much was lost. Everyone is filling them out,” said C&F agent Imran Hossain. The Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB) on Monday estimated that total losses could reach $1 billion, a figure that underscores the blaze’s devastating economic impact.
At a city hotel press briefing, EAB President Mohammad Hatem said: “Direct losses include the goods destroyed, but the bigger blow lies in the disruption of exports caused by the loss of raw materials. Market positions will be lost, buyer confidence shaken, and international contracts jeopardised. We estimate the total loss at around $1 billion, or Tk 12,000 crore.”
The pharmaceutical sector has been hit particularly hard. Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Industry Association Secretary Zakir Hossain said raw materials worth Tk 2 billion were destroyed. “Immediate shortages may not occur,” he said, “but within three to six months, supply chains will be under severe strain.” He urged the government to step up fire safety and security measures in all export-import zones to safeguard global buyer confidence.
“Their rhythm was shattered on Saturday by a fire that destroyed goods worth millions of dollars and sent shockwaves through the entire export chain,” said one airport official, surveying the smouldering ruins. Civil Aviation Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin had promised an initial assessment “within an hour”, but three days later, no official report has been released.
Representatives from the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) and the Pharmaceutical and Medicine Industry Association echoed similar concerns. Hatem denounced what he called a “total failure” of the fire detection and suppression systems at one of the country’s most sensitive logistics facilities. “The damage goes far beyond what was physically burnt,” he said. “Finished products that were to be made from burnt raw materials can no longer be exported. That’s the deeper economic wound.”
BTMA President Shawkat Aziz Russel went further, suggesting that “geopolitical forces” could be trying to undermine Bangladesh’s growing trade influence after recent tariff arrangements with the United States. “Certain quarters are trying to destabilise our export sector,” he alleged. “This will not only hurt our economy but could tarnish our credibility in global trade.”
Industry leaders fear the damage to Bangladesh’s reputation as a reliable supplier may linger long after the warehouses are rebuilt. “This fire in such a critical export facility will raise serious concerns among foreign buyers,” Hatem warned. “Our reliability is on trial now.”
The Cargo Village is a vital artery of Bangladesh’s export economy, handling shipments for nearly every major sector. The readymade garment (RMG) industry depends on it for fast deliveries of spare parts, raw materials, and product samples. The pharmaceutical industry uses it to import active ingredients and export temperature-sensitive medicines. The facility is also indispensable for exporters of frozen foods, agricultural produce, and perishable goods, where any delay can lead to total loss. “If these goods aren’t shipped on time, they’re ruined,” Hatem noted grimly.
Two days after the blaze, operations remain far from normal. The National Board of Revenue (NBR) issued temporary clearance guidelines on Sunday, but most work continues manually and at a fraction of normal capacity. “An emergency alternative handling system is running, but without digital coordination, everything is painfully slow,” said an airline cargo officer. “No new freighter has landed since the fire.”
Authorities expect limited flights to resume Tuesday, with a Cathay Pacific freighter from Hong Kong carrying about 400 tonnes of imports—the first international cargo flight since the disaster. The goods will be stored temporarily in an open area beside the export complex, as officials race to set up a makeshift shed with support from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). Customs and airline personnel are now working round the clock from temporary offices to maintain a minimum flow of imports.
Md Khairul Alam Bhuiyan Mithu, vice-president of the C&F Agents Association, said: “Under the emergency plan, cargo clearance can continue 24 hours a day. Some traders have retrieved goods that survived the fire.”
Saturday’s blaze, which broke out in the import section around 2:30 p.m., spread rapidly through adjoining warehouses before being brought under control after 27 hours of relentless effort by 37 fire units, assisted by police, Ansar, RAB, APBn, and the armed forces. The destruction was so extensive that much of the cargo village remains cordoned off for safety inspections.
The Department of Fire Service and Civil Defence has formed a five-member investigation committee, which must submit its findings within 15 working days. Separate probes have been launched by the Civil Aviation Ministry, the Finance Ministry’s Internal Resources Division, and Biman Bangladesh Airlines, which oversees ground handling at the airport.
In light of a string of recent industrial fires—in Ashulia, Mirpur, Chattogram EPZ, and Incepta Pharmaceuticals—the government has also formed a seven-member “core committee” led by the home secretary, expected to report by 5 November.
As traders return to the charred cargo compound, the sense of disbelief is palpable. Many stand silently beside the ruins of their consignments, uncertain how long recovery will take or who will bear responsibility. For now, Bangladesh’s vital export artery remains paralysed — its wounds both physical and reputational — as the nation confronts yet another reminder of its fragile industrial safety culture.
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