A boiler explosion at the Akij Cement factory in the Ekrampur area of Bandar upazila, Narayanganj, Bangladesh, injured eight workers on January 10. The incident occurred at around 5:15 pm in the factory’s boiler room. The factory’s internal fire safety system was immediately activated, enabling the fire to be brought under control.
According to Golam Muktar Ashraf, officer-in-charge of Bandar Police Station, the force of the explosion shattered glass walls in several sections of the factory. The injured workers sustained minor burns and injuries caused by broken glass and were treated accordingly.
Sanjay Khan, officer in charge of the Bandar Fire Service, said the explosion was caused by the bursting of a heat exchanger boiler in the factory’s poly fiber unit, which manufactures cement bags. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the incident. Following the blast, local residents gathered outside the factory, while access to the premises was restricted for safety reasons.
Established on 3 November 2002, Akij Cement Co Ltd has grown into a major player in Bangladesh’s cement industry, employing 1839 people nationwide. The company operates with advanced vertical roller mill (VRM) technology and has a production capacity of 8160tpd. It also runs a modern ready-mix concrete operation with a capacity of 410 m³ per hour, supported by five plants in Dhaka.
Akij Cement’s integrated operations include a wide distribution network, stringent quality control systems, a dedicated logistics fleet of 11 mother vessels and 42 lighter ships, a modern Ad-star woven bag manufacturing facility, and a concrete delivery fleet comprising 60 mixer trucks and 17 pump units.
By Abdul Rab Siddiqi, Pakistan
