AT LEAST 43 people have died after a fire broke out in a shopping centre in Bangladesh.
The horror blaze began around 10pm local time in the capital, Dhaka, on Thursday night as swarms of firefighters were deployed to the scene.
The news was confirmed by the country’s health minister, Samanta Lal Sen, who said that at least 33 people, including women and children, were declared dead at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
He added that at least another ten people died at the city’s main burns hospital, where dozens more were sent for treatment.
Firefighters managed to rescue at least 75 people, including 42 who were unconscious, AFP report.
More than a dozen firefighting units were deployed to douse the fire, which the emergency service said began in a popular restaurant on the first floor of the Green Cozy Cottage shopping mall.
“We were at the sixth floor when we first saw smoke racing through the staircase,” said a restaurant manager called Sohel, according to AFP.
“A lot of people rushed upstairs. We used a water pipe to climb down the building.
“Some of us were injured as they jumped from upstairs.”
Fire officials said the fire has now been bought under control.
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Pictures show the aftermath of the blaze as victims are put into the back of ambulances in front of horrified onlookers.
The cause of the fire, which left many people trapped, could not immediately be determined.
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Tom Malley
