Ill-equipped for rescue:Daily Star

Jihad's case is just the latest in a series that starkly shows how ill-prepared the country is for dealing with any rescue operation. One can recall the Rana Plaza incident when the building collapsed trapping thousands inside. The equipment that the fire service had was inadequate. In the end private companies like Beximco and Orion supplied huge cranes to pull apart the beams and slabs. On top o
f that, as official rescuers looked on, hordes of brave hearts risked their lives, searched every nook and corner and rescued many of the trapped souls. One of the volunteers even died trying to pull off a daring rescue. When the Rangs building tragedy happened at Bijoy Sarani during the caretaker government rule, rescue operation was frustrating. The scene of dead workers hanging from the beams for days still haunts us. And now the sad case of Jihad. And once again, it was proved that the authorities were ill-equipped. They managed a camera to sink inside the well, but that was not effective. And unable to do anything, they even called off the rescue operation at one stage. Finally, it was the volunteers, many of them Rana Plaza veterans, who located the boy and pulled his body up. For long 24 hours, the fire brigade just buzzed around the hole, scratching their heads and then the locals invented their own equipment for the rescue. And think of a large-scale disaster, an earthquake for one, which could flatten a large part of the city. It is for sure there would be no rescue, no hope and no cohesive action. Advertisement This is why it is high time to take lesson from the latest incident of Jihad and prepare the fire department with equipment.