Bangladesh: Building fire kills at least 45 in Dhaka

A fire at a seven-storey building in the central part of the Bangladesh capital overnight has killed at least 45 people and left 22 others injured, Health Minister Dr Samanta Lal Sen said on Friday, 1 March.

The condition of those injured is "critical", he told reporters at a briefing at 2 am.

The fire broke out around 9:50 pm on Thursday at a restaurant on the building's first floor and quickly spread to the upper floors that had more restaurants and a garment shop, according to fire service officials.

They said 75 people, including 42 in unconscious state, were taken out of the seven-storey building. Thirteen fire service units were mobilised, the officials said.

"Thirty-three people died at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and 10 at (the nearby) Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery," Sen said.

The minister, a burn wound specialist, said 22 people are being treated at both the health facilities and their condition is "critical."

"The respiratory system of those who have survived so far has been seriously damaged," Sen told reporters at the DMCH.

Doctors said some of the bodies were burned beyond recognition and feared that the death toll could rise.

Witnesses and officials said to escape the fire, people rushed to the upper floors. Many were rescued by fire-fighters using ladders, they added.