Over 100 RMG workers fall ill in Tongi, holiday declared

Bangla Press Desk:  More than a hundred garment workers from two factories at the Tongi BSCIC industrial area in Gazipur fell ill after experiencing sudden convulsions on Wednesday morning, prompting factory authorities to declare a holiday.

The incident occurred around 9:00am at Garment Export Village Limited, located in Ma Tower on Meghna Road, and Bravo Apparels Limited, situated in Alam Tower in the same area.

By 10:00am, dozens of sick workers had been taken to Tongi Shaheed Ahsan Ullah Master General Hospital. Nayantara, Shefali, Aklima, Marjan, Phulbanu, Lima, Sharmin, Anna, Shilpi, Nazmul, Dolly, Ali, Mehedi, Subarna, Monwara, Hridoy, Maleka, Liza, Asma, Monira, Nasima, Ria, Kiron Das, Suma, Shah Alam, Nadia, Jannat, Amena and Morsheda were among the ill workers.

Ten of the workers were admitted to the hospital, while several others were referred to Gazipur Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College Hospital and Dhaka Medical College Hospital for further treatment.

Roni Mia, a worker of Bravo Apparel Manufacturer Limited, said: “Mosquito-repellent gas had been sprayed inside the factories earlier in the morning. Soon after the spraying, workers began to lose consciousness one after another. Many reportedly started vomiting, while froth was seen coming out from their mouths.”

Dr Nahid Sultana, the on-duty physician at the emergency department of Tongi Shaheed Ahsan Ullah Master General Hospital, said, “The illness was likely caused by the smell of mosquito repellent. After one or two workers were affected, others began to experience the same symptoms after seeing them. This is generally a panic attack.”

Khorshed, an official of the Bravo Apparels factory, said the factory had been closed for the day due to the workers’ illness.

Sujan Mahmud, general manager of Garment Export Village Limited, also confirmed that a holiday had been declared because of the incident.

Azad Rahman, inspector (Tongi zone) of Gazipur Industrial Police-2, said that workers had left the factories soon after the incident and holiday would be declared officially. “We are deployed to ensure security for the factories,” he added.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Tongi East Police Station, Mehedi Hasan, said police were dispatched to the scene immediately after receiving the information. “An investigation is underway, but our top priority now is to ensure treatment for the sick workers,” he said.

Earlier, on Monday (12 January), more than 50 workers from one factory had also reportedly fallen ill after experiencing the problems.

BP/SP