Silver / 2020 / Press / General News

Fire incident

  • Prize
    Silver in Press/General News
  • Photographer
    Syed Mahabubul Kader, Bangladesh

This photo shows people surrounding the remains of a car previously engulfed in flames in old Dhaka, Bangladesh. This fire accident occurred in a highly congested area and killed 71 people. In the last ten years, over 16,000 fire incidents have occurred in Bangladesh, killing an estimated 1,590 people. The fires are frequently attributed to illegal storage of chemicals in unregulated warehouses in Old Dhaka. This highly congested part of the city – with a population density of approximately 21000 people per square kilometre – is home to nearly 15,000 chemical warehouses.