Staff Correspondent

Bodies of 21 workers, killed in the fire in Narayanganj’s Hashem Foods factory last month, were handed to family members yesterday. With them, remains of 45 workers, who died in the incident, have been handed to family members.

On August 4, 24 bodies were received by family members.

Coffins with the 21 bodies in them were received by family members at the Dhaka Medical College morgue. Sajeeb Group, which owns the factory, arranged ambulances to carry the bodies to the victims’ village homes for burial.

A total of 51 people were killed in the fire that ravaged through the factory in Narayanganj on July 8. Three of them died after jumping off the six-storey factory building to escape the flames.

Identities of six victims, who were burnt alive being trapped on the third floor of the building with its only exit locked, were yet to be confirmed through DNA profiling. The bodies will be handed to family members following the confirmation, CID Inspector Ataur Rahman, investigation officer of the case filed over the incident, told The Daily Star.

Officials and representatives from Criminal Investigation Department, deputy commissioner of Narayanganj and Narayanganj police, among others, were present during the handover of the bodies.