A probe committee report said the poor ventilation system was the major cause of the death of 21 workers in the devastating fire at Garib and Garib Company at Bhogra under Gazipur district.

The three-member probe committee headed by magistrate Hasan Sarwar yesterday submitted the investigation report to Gazipur Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kamal Uddin Talukdar.

The terrible fire incident took place at Garib and Garib Company, an export-oriented garment factory, on Thursday which also left 31 workers injured.

Talking to The Daily Star Kamal Uddin said the probe committee in its report mentioned that acrylic yarn in the factory caught fire and created thick smoke that engulfed the entire building in no time.

The smoke could not get out because the seven-storey building was poorly ventilated, the DC quoted the report as saying.

“As the flames consumed oxygen from the air the workers were suffocated to death,” Kamal Uddin said.

The workers who were on the sixth floor could not get out, as the stairs leading to the other exit was covered with smoke, added the Gazipur DC.

He said the probe committee recommended introducing fire drill at factories, training for the workers and keeping adequate fire-fighting equipment in the factories to tackle such incidents in future.

Meanwhile, Chowdhury Qudrat-E-Elahi, director (marketing and development) of Garib and Garib Company, said they would re-open the factory within a day or two.

“A team from the home ministry has also visited the affected factory to prepare an investigation report," Elahi said.

He said the management of the factory is making contact with the relatives of the victims to disburse Tk2 lakh to each as compensation.

When asked, Abdus Salam Murshedy, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said another report from the association would be submitted to the government within this week in this connection.