A fire broke out on Saturday in the cargo section of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, forcing all flights to be suspended, according to a local newspaper. The daily star reported.
Citing Talha Bin Zasim, an officer of the Fire Service and Civil Defense Media Unit, 36 firefighting units are already working to extinguish the flames, the report added.
“All of our aircraft have been confirmed to be safe. Further updates will be provided as the situation evolves,” the newspaper reported, citing an airport spokesperson.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The airport did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The daily starCiting fire service sources, it reported that the fire broke out in the cargo section near Gate 8 of the airport around 2:30 p.m. local time (1:30 p.m. PKT).
“Meanwhile, according to the [Bangladeshi] Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh Fire Service, Bangladesh Navy and two fire units of the Bangladesh Air Force are working to extinguish the fire,” the report said, adding that two platoons of the Bangladesh Border Guard were also involved in firefighting efforts. fires.
Dhaka airport sources said The daily star that at least five flights scheduled to land in Dhaka were diverted to Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram and Osmani International Airport in Sylhet.
“The aerodrome of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka will remain closed until 6 pm today,” the report said quoting Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil, public relations officer of Shah Amanat International Airport.
Due to the closure, two flights operated by US-Bangla Airlines and two by Biman Bangladesh Airlines were diverted to Shah Amanat Airport. The daily star reported. With the latest diversions, a total of eight domestic and international flights landed at Shah Amanat Airport.
The newspaper added that authorities said the diverted flights will return to Dhaka once the situation normalizes as outbound passengers were left waiting at Hazrat Shahjalal due to the suspension of flight operations.
