Bangladesh: Fire kills at least 70 in historic Chawkbazar

A massive fire gutted five buildings in a historic district of Bangladesh. According to reports, the blaze killed at least 70 injuring more than 50 people in Dhaka.

The fire broke out in the old Chawkbazar area, which is famously known for its narrow streets and residential buildings crammed together.

On Wednesday night, one of the buildings caught fire, which had flammable chemicals on one floor, and soon spread to the other neighbouring buildings.

According to the administration, rescuers were able to recover 45 bodies while still attempting to douse the fire.

The condition of some of the injured are critical to an extent that there are chances of the death toll to further rise, said the head of a burn unit of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

According to local reports, gas cylinders exploded one after another adding more fuel to the fire and fuel tanks of some of the vehicles stuck in traffic in front of the destroyed buildings also exploded.

Despite repeated warnings, most of the buildings were used both for residential purposes as well as commercial. It may be noted that the authorities had assured to remove chemical warehouses from the residential complexes bringing the buildings under regulations.

(Featured Image: BBC)