Bangladesh witnessed a great number of tragedies during 2019 that left the nation shocked. Starting from a few of the massive fires to the worst dengue outbreak, the outgoing year was nothing less than eventful.

Dengue Outbreak
Being a tropical country, dengue is a common phenomenon in Bangladesh but 2019 saw the worst outbreak in history with the official death toll reaching a staggering 148.
Hospitals overflowed with patients being admitted by hundreds every day; the limited manpower taxing doctors and hospital staff alike.
The outbreak lasted the longest this year with a total of 101,319 people being admitted to the various hospitals across the country, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.
Although Dhaka was the epicentre of the mosquito-borne disease, it spread to other parts of the country, causing the government to take several steps to battle the outbreak.
As part of the initiatives, a massive number of dengue test kits were bought and prices of tests were fixed by the government.
Despite the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) identified 148 dengue-related cases out of the 266 it examined, the unofficial death toll is estimated to be much higher.

Chawkbazar Fire
February was a grim month with the nation mourning the deaths of over 70 lives claimed in the deadly fire in Old Dhaka’s Chawkbazar along with the Language martyrs.
On Feb 21, a massive fire razed through the street of Churihatta in Chawkbazar, one of the largest trading hubs in Dhaka, gutting shops and buildings.
The fire started in a building with shops on its ground floor, a warehouse for plastics and flammable material on the first, and homes on the three floors above.
It tore through the building causing the gas cylinders in the adjoining restaurant and a parked van to explode, rocking the streets and engulfing pedestrians and residents alike in flames.
For many, the massive conflagration was a reminder of the 2010 Nimtali fire that claimed over 120 lives.

FR Tower fire
A little over a month after the Chawkbazar incident, on Mar 28, another massive fire gutted the 23-storied FR Tower in Dhaka’s Banani killing 26 people and injuring scores.
Many of the victims died of suffocation caused by thick smoke in the offices while several many jumped off the high-rise building in a bid to escape the conflagration.
At least 22 fire fighting units worked throughout the day to bring the flames under control.
The incident brought to light the blatant violation of building codes during construction and the laxity regarding fire incidents in the buildings across the country.
Experts said that lack of fire exit in a building like FR Tower made the casualties so staggering.

Brahmanbaria train collision
As many as 16 people were killed and more than people 50 injured in a head-on collision between two trains in Brahmanbaria’s Kasba Upazila on Nov 12.
A Chattogram-bound Udayan Express from Sylhet collided with Dhaka-bound Turna Nishita from Chattogram near Mondobhag Railway Station, reportedly due to the loco master disregarding the rail traffic signals.
Nine people, including four women, died on the spot while the rest succumbed to their injuries at hospitals.

Keraniganj plastic factory and Gazipur fan factory fires:
On Dec 11, a fire in Keraniganj’s Prime Plate and Plastic Industries Ltd killed at least 21 workers and injured over 30.
At least 150 workers were employed at the plastic cups and plate manufacturing factory without any fire safety. The owner Nazrul Islam is still on the run after being sued.
Meanwhile, the fire in a fan factory in Gazipur a few days later left 10 workers dead on the spot and injured 15.

Cumilla truck crash
A coal-laden truck tumbling over and falling on the hut occupied by workers of a brick kiln left 13 people dead on Jan 25.
The accident in Cumilla’s Chauddogram injured five workers, killed 12 on the spot while another died on the way to the hospital.

Rupnagar gas cylinder blast
As many as seven children were killed and at least 14 injured after a balloon vendor's gas cylinder exploded in Dhaka’s Mirpur on Oct 30.
All the victims belonged to low-income areas and lived in the Jheelpar (Fajr Ali Madbar) slum in Rupnagar. It took at least four fire-fighting units to extinguish the fire.

Sylhet train derailment
On Jun 23, a Dhaka-bound intercity train from the north-eastern district of Moulvibazar derailed and fell into a canal killing six people.
The Upaban Express fell into a canal after a derailment near Baramchal Railway Station. Five compartments of the train veered off the tracks after a culvert over the Barochhara Canal broke down.
Two of the compartments fell into the canal while one of them overturned, and three more compartments remained tilted.

Sirajganj train fire
Two days into the Brahmanbaria train collision, a Rangpur-bound train caught fire after its oil tanker burst following a derailment in Sirajganj’s injuring at least 20 people.
One air-conditioned and one chair coach carriage along with two power cars of the Rangpur Express derailed at Ullapara Upazila on Nov 14.