A fire broke out at a six-story shopping mall in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka, killing at least 45 people and injuring dozens, authorities said Friday.
The fire broke out late Thursday at a restaurant on the ground floor of Green Cozy Cottage shopping mall in central Dhaka. Brigadier General Med Mein Uddin, director of the Fire and Civil Defense Department, said more than a dozen fire brigade units were called in to extinguish the blaze.
Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen said the death toll could rise further as at least 18 seriously injured people were being treated at two state-run hospitals.
One survivor said people fled towards the roof of the building.
“We learned about the fire when it broke out on the first floor. We moved to the roof of the building. There were about 30 people gathered there. After the fire was extinguished, fire personnel entered one side of the roof. They rescued us,” said survivor Mohamed Siam.
Thirty-eight victims have been identified and 26 of the bodies have been handed over to their families, said Bacchu Mia, in-charge of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital police outpost.
“Many families waited here overnight for their loved ones. It's a heartbreaking sight as they desperately searched for their loved ones who died in the tragedy,” Mia said.
Firefighters entered the charred building in the morning to check for other bodies, and forensic experts began searching for evidence in the fire investigation.
Fire officials said the fire may have been caused by a gas leak or a stove, and spread quickly after it started at the biryani restaurant.