At least 43 people were killed and 22 injured in a major fire in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Thursday evening. The Minister of Health reports this to international news agencies. The number of victims may still rise.
The fire broke out in a busy restaurant on the ground floor of a shopping center around 10 p.m. local time. Some people were forced to flee up the seven-story building. They then became trapped as the fire spread upwards. Some reached the street through the drainpipe and were injured. Others waited on the roof for help.
Rescuers rescued 75 people from the building, more than half of whom were unconscious. According to the fire brigade, the fire was brought under control after two hours. The cause of the fire is still unclear.
In Bangladesh, such deadly fires in apartment buildings occur with some regularity due to poor compliance with safety regulations. For example, 52 people died in a fire at a food factory in 2021, and in February 2019, 70 people died in a major fire in several apartment buildings in Dhaka.