Bangladesh building fire kills at least 43, injures dozens

At least 43 people were killed and dozens were injured on Thursday night after a devastating fire tore through a high-rise building in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka.

Minister of Health and Family Welfare of Bangladesh Samanta Lal Sen said early Friday that they had confirmed the deaths.

The minister said 33 bodies were brought to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital and 10 others to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka.

Anwarul Islam, an inspector of the Fire Service and Civil Defence Headquarters in Dhaka, earlier said that around 75 people, including 42 in an unconscious state, were rescued from the "Green Cozy Cottage Shopping Mall" and were rushed to several hospitals.

Islam said rescuers were working at the site. He said they sent the firefighters after receiving information about the fire around 9:30 p.m. Thursday local time. At least 12 firefighting units rushed to the spot and doused the fire at about 11:30 p.m.

The official said the seven-storyed building houses a restaurant, an outlet and several other shops.

The death toll in the devastating inferno is likely to rise, warned another fire official, who did not want to be named.

TV reports early Friday showed fires were still raging in some parts of the building. The cause of the fire could not be known immediately.

Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence Director, Brigadier General Main Uddin, said the fire could have originated from a gas leak or stove.

"It was a dangerous building with gas cylinders on every floor, even on the staircases," he told reporters.

Fires are common in densely populated Dhaka, which has experienced a boom in new buildings, often constructed without proper safety measures. Fires and explosions have occurred due to faulty gas cylinders, air conditioners and bad electrical wiring.

(With input from agencies)