Death toll rises to 23 in B'desh garment factory fire (UPDATE)

At least 23 workers were killed and 74 others injured in a boiler explosion at a garment packaging factory in Tongi BSCIC industrial area of Bangladesh's Gazipur district today.

Superintendent of Gazipur police Harun-ur Rashid has confirmed the death toll in the incident, reports the Daily Star.

The incident is considered as the biggest industrial disaster since 2013, when the Rana Plaza building collapsed.

Twenty units of firefighters were trying to douse the fire this afternoon, while rescue operation continued.

The district administration has formed a five-member investigation committee which will submit its report in 15 working days.

Meanwhile, Riyad Ahmed, marketing executive of Tampaco Foils Limited, said that a large number of workers were present at the factory during the incident as they were in the process of taking the charges from the night shift labourers.

He added that the factory runs three shifts round the clock, each with eight hours.