Bangladesh: Dhaka Building Blaze Kills At Least 43 (x image@Msh_Sohel24)

Nearly 43 people were killed in a fire that broke out in a multi-storey building in Bangladesh. As per the local media, the fire began at the local restaurant of the capital Dhaka. Over 75 people were rescued and dozens taken to hospital. The fire brought under control after two hours, as said by fire officials. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Bangladesh Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen told AFP that at least 43 people were killed and 40 were reported to be injured. The injured people are being treated in the city’s main burn hospital. Sen said at least 33 people died from the Dhaka Medical College, and over 10 people died at the city’s main burn hospitals. 22 people are said to be in critical condition.

According to Daily Bangladesh newspaper, the emergency services were called to the Kacchi Bhai restaurant, which is in a building that has seven floors. The complex in which the building is situated also has several other restaurants, clothing and mobile phone shops.

Brigadier General Main Uddin, the head of Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence, said that fire could have erupted from a gas leak or stove, as reported by AFP. He said, “it was a dangerous building with gas cylinders on every floor, even on the staircases”.

Survivors said lot of people rushed upstairs, while some climbed down through the pipeline of the building. A survivor named Mohammed Altaf said he narrowly escaped the blaze through a broken window. He said, two of his friends, who tried to help people get out were both later died.

Fires in commercial and residential building are nothing new in Bangladesh. They were often blamed upon poor safety awareness and inadequate enforcement of the regulations.