Bangladesh fire: At least 43 dead in Dhaka building blaze
According to Bangladesh’s health minister, at least 43 individuals lost their lives following a fire outbreak in a multi-storey structure in the country.
Reports from local media indicate that the fire ignited in a restaurant around 22:00 local time (16:00 GMT) on Thursday, located in the capital city of Dhaka.
Seventy-five individuals were successfully rescued, with numerous others transported to hospitals for treatment. Fire officials managed to bring the blaze under control within two hours, and investigations into its cause are currently underway.
Samanta Lal Sen, the Health Minister of Bangladesh, disclosed that 33 individuals, including women and children, were confirmed deceased at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Meanwhile, ten others succumbed to their injuries at the city’s primary burns hospital, with twenty-two individuals reported to be in critical condition, as per Mr. Sen’s statement.
Emergency services responded to the Kacchi Bhai restaurant, situated within a seven-story building complex, as reported by the Daily Bangladesh newspaper.
The building also houses additional restaurants, along with various clothing and mobile phone outlets. Brigadier General Main Uddin, head of the Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence, suggested that the fire might have originated from a gas leak or stove, as cited by the AFP news agency.
“It was a dangerous building with gas cylinders on every floor, even on the staircases,” Brig Gen Uddin told reporters.
“We were at the sixth floor when we first saw smoke racing through the staircase,” said a restaurant manager called Sohel, according to AFP.
“A lot of people rushed upstairs. We used a water pipe to climb down the building.
“Some of us were injured as they jumped from upstairs.”
Another survivor, Mohammad Altaf, told Reuters that he narrowly escaped the blaze through a broken window.
He said two of his colleagues, who had helped to get people out, both later died.
Fires in commercial and residential buildings are common in Bangladesh. They are often blamed on poor safety awareness and an inadequate enforcement of regulations.
