Fires in commercial buildings and homes are common in Bangladesh, and low safety awareness is often blamed.
A fire broke out in a high-rise building in Bangladesh, killing at least 43 people, the country's health minister announced.
According to local media, the fire broke out at around 22:00 local time (16:00 Japan time) on Thursday at a restaurant in the capital Dhaka.
75 people were rescued and dozens were taken to hospital.
Fire officials said the fire was extinguished after two hours and the cause is under investigation.
Bangladesh Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen said at least 33 people, including women and children, were declared dead at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
At least 10 people died at the city's main burn hospital. Sen said 22 people were in critical condition.
According to the Daily Bangladesh newspaper, emergency services were called to the restaurant Kutch Bai, which is located in a seven-storey building.
The complex that houses this building also has several other restaurants, clothing stores, and a mobile phone store.
Brigadier General Main Uddin, director of the Bangladesh Fire and Civil Defense Bureau, said the fire may have been caused by a gas leak or a stove, according to AFP news agency.
Brigadier General Uddin told reporters: “It was a dangerous building with gas cylinders installed on each floor and even on the stairs.''
“We were on the sixth floor when we first saw the smoke coming down the stairs,” a restaurant manager called Sohel said, according to AFP news agency.
“A lot of people rushed into the second floor. We used the water pipes to get out of the building.
“Some of us were injured jumping from the second floor.”
Another survivor, Mohammad Altaf, told Reuters he narrowly escaped death through a broken window.
He said two colleagues who helped people escape later died.
Fires in commercial buildings and residential buildings occur frequently in Bangladesh. Low safety awareness and inadequate enforcement of regulations are often blamed.
