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Fire in Dhaka: The fire brigade rescued people from the roof of the burning house
Photo: Munir Uz Zaman / AFP
At least 43 people have died in a fire in a high-rise building in Bangladesh.
Dozens more people were injured when the fire broke out in a seven-story building in an upscale area of the capital Dhaka on Thursday evening, health authorities said.
22 people are still being treated.
"At least 43 people died in the fire," said Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen after visiting the Dhaka Medical College Hospital and an adjacent burn clinic.
There are also said to be children among the dead.
Fire department representative Mohammad Shihab said the fire broke out late Thursday evening (local time) in a popular restaurant on Bailey Road and then quickly spread to the upper floors.
The fire department got the fire under control within two hours.
Some people slid down a gutter to escape the flames.
Others gathered on the roof of the building and shouted for help.
As the fire department announced, 75 people were rescued.
42 of them were unconscious when rescued.
The building mainly houses restaurants and some clothing and cell phone shops.
Residential and factory fires are common in Bangladesh due to lax enforcement of safety regulations.
In July 2021, 52 people died in a fire at a food processing plant.
In February 2019, 70 people died when a fire engulfed several apartment blocks in Dhaka.
czl/AFP/AP