Blaze at Shahjalal Cargo Village Burns ICT Businesses, Causes Tk 35 Crore Loss
The devastating fire at the Cargo Village of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport has inflicted massive damage on Bangladesh’s information technology and hardware sectors. According to preliminary estimates, five member companies of the Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS) have incurred losses amounting to approximately Tk 35 crore, though the actual figure is feared to be much higher.
In an official statement, the Bangladesh Computer Samity said that a substantial quantity of imported technological equipment belonging to its member companies was destroyed in the fire, dealing a severe blow to the country’s technology supply chain.
Following the October 18 incident, BCS promptly sent letters to its member companies seeking details of the damage and provided an online form for data submission. Based on the information received so far, the initial loss has been estimated at around Tk 35 crore as of Wednesday, October 29.
The companies identified among the major victims include Smart Technology Bangladesh Ltd, Datatech Computer, NewTech Technology, Dihan Enterprise, and Reeve System.
Speaking about the incident, BCS President Mohammad Zahirul Islam said, “The actual amount of damage suffered by our member companies has not yet been fully determined. We are still collecting detailed information from them. Although the preliminary estimate stands at around Tk 35 crore, the real loss could be significantly higher.”
He added, “This disaster is not just a personal loss for our members, but a major setback for the entire ICT sector. The country’s technology supply chain has been disrupted. Since the imported goods were destroyed after arriving in Bangladesh, the financial loss is severe. A coordinated effort from the concerned authorities is essential to prevent such incidents in the future.”
It may be recalled that the fire broke out at around 2:30 p.m. on October 18 in the Cargo Village Complex building at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
