Dhaka, June 04: Rescuers called off the search for survivors today as the death toll from one of Bangladesh’s worst fires rose to 108 after flames ripped through a packed neighbourhood of Dhaka, officials said.
The blaze raged for three hours, destroying a row of multi-storey apartment buildings and trapping hundreds of residents in Dhaka’s densely populated Kayettuli area, city police chief AKM Shahidul Haq told AFP.
“At least 108 people have died including those who expired in hospitals. The toll may rise as quite a few are in critical condition,” district administrator Muhibul Haque said.
The blaze has been put out and a search-and-rescue effort halted after firefighters scoured “every inch of the fire-hit buildings”, Dhaka fire department chief Abu Nayeem told.
“A wedding party was on the roof of one building and we think this is why the number of casualties is so high,” Nayeem said, adding that highly flammable stock, including chemicals, in a string of small shops had fuelled the blaze.
“At least 41 bodies have been pulled out from the wedding party building,” he said.
One witness told, “The bride was spared from the fire as she had been at the local beauty salon.”
Hundreds of people were trapped in burning buildings for hours as rescue workers struggled to contain the blaze, their work hampered by the narrow lanes of the crowded residential area.
Nayeem said the fire had been caused by an electrical fault and took grip before firefighters could access the area.
—PTI