Years-old video misrepresented as October 2025 Dhaka blaze
- Published on October 28, 2025 at 09:18
- 2 min read
- By Rasheek MUJIB, AFP Bangladesh
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Bangladesh was hit by multiple fires in October 2025, including a massive, costly one that tore through the cargo complex of the country's international airport in Dhaka, but a video shared online does not show another fire at the capital's main river terminal in the same month. The clip was filmed in 2023, and authorities said no blaze hit the port recently.
"Terrible fire at Dhaka Sadarghat. A curse is coming down on the country," reads the Bengali-language caption of a Facebook video shared on October 19, 2025.
The 20-second video, which was viewed 34,000 times, shows a vessel on fire with black smoke rising from it.
The post emerged after a large fire swept through the cargo terminal of Bangladesh's main international airport in Dhaka on October 18, forcing authorities to suspend all flights, officials said (archived link).
The airport's cargo complex -- which stores fabrics, garment accessories, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and other imports -- was left in ruins. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association gave an initial assessment of "devastating" direct and indirect costs of as much as US$1 billion (archived link).
The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.
The government said it was aware of growing public concern following a string of major fires -- including in Chittagong's export processing zone and a chemical and garment factory in Dhaka, where 16 people were killed (archived link).
More than 26,500 fires were reported in 2024 in Bangladesh, where safety standards are lax and often ignored.
The video was shared alongside similar claims on Facebook and Instagram.
Some users appear to believe it shows an October 2025 blaze.
"Everyday, a new fire incident, it can't be just like that," one user commented.
Another user wrote, "God, what is happening in the country?"
A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to a longer version taken from a slightly different angle posted on local media Prothom Alo's Facebook page on June 30, 2023 (archived link).
"Fire breaks out on Mayur-7 launch in Sadarghat," reads the caption of the video, referring to a ferry stationed at the terminal.
Similar footage was also shared by other local media organisations Jamuna TV and Somoy TV on the same day (archived here and here).
Mohammad Mustafizur Rahman, senior official at the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, told AFP the terminal was not hit by fire recently.
"This is a rumour, no fire incidents occurred that day or any day in the recent months," he said in a phone call on October 23.
AFP has previously debunked other misrepresented content related to accidents in Bangladesh.
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