February 29, 2024, 21:07 GMT
Updated 54 minutes ago
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Dozens of people were trapped in the multi-story building after the fire broke out
At least 43 people have died in a fire in a multi-story building in Bangladesh, according to the country's health minister.
According to local media, the fire started at around 10:00 p.m. local time (16:00 GMT) at a restaurant in the capital Dhaka on Thursday.
It spread quickly through the building, trapping dozens of people.
According to the fire department, the fire was later brought under control and the cause is currently being investigated.
Bangladesh Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen said at least 33 people, including women and children, were declared dead at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
At least 10 others died in the city's largest burn hospital. Dozens more people have been sent there for treatment, Mr. Sen said.
Rescue workers were called to the Kacchi Bhai restaurant, which is located in a seven-story building, according to the Daily Bangladesh newspaper.
The complex in which the building is located also houses other restaurants as well as several clothing and cell phone stores.
“We were on the sixth floor when we first saw smoke coming through the stairwell,” a restaurant manager named Sohel said, according to AFP.
“A lot of people rushed upstairs. We used a water pipe to climb down the building.”
“Some of us were injured while jumping from above.”
Another survivor, Mohammad Altaf, told Portal he narrowly escaped the fire through a broken window.
He said two of his colleagues who helped get people out both later died.
Fires in commercial and residential buildings are common in Bangladesh. They are often attributed to a lack of security awareness and inadequate enforcement of regulations.