Bangladesh: Huge Fire Kills Scores in Old Part of Capital Dhaka

By Staff, Agencies

Scores of people lost their lives after a massive fire raced through several apartment buildings also used as chemical warehouses in a centuries-old part of Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, fire officials reported.

The devastating blaze, which broke out around 10.40pm on Wednesday at a building in Chawkbazar, in the old part of Dhaka, was not yet entirely under control as of Thursday morning.

Fire control room officials told news agencies that 69 people were killed, with officials expecting the death toll to rise as emergency crews continued searching for survivors.

About 50 others were injured, including some in a critical condition.

Fire service chief Ali Ahmed said the fire might have originated from a gas cylinder before quickly spreading through the building where highly flammable chemicals were stored.

The flames raced through four adjoining structures, which were also used as chemical warehouses, including for storing plastic granules and body sprays.

A fire official told reporters that the blaze has been "confined" but not yet doused despite the efforts of more than 200 firefighters.

"It will take time. This is not like any other fire," he said, adding the blaze became so devastating due to the "highly combustible" chemicals stored there.

Bangladesh has been harshly criticized for its poor safety record, with many buildings being used both for residential and commercial purposes.

A similar fire in 2010 in an old Dhaka building, which was also used as a chemical warehouse, killed more than 120 people in one of the worst fire tragedies in Dhaka.