Death toll from a huge fire in a Dhaka office block has risen to at least 17 – official
A person looks on as firefighters attempt to extinguish a fire at a multi-storey commercial building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 28, 2019.
"The death toll has risen to 17," Khurshid Alam, a fire service officer, said, adding the toll may continue to rise as rescue crews search the torched FR Tower, located on a busy avenue in Dhaka's Banani commercial district. Shoikot Rahman ran to safety after hearing colleagues raise the alarm, narrowly escaping the smoke and flames engulfing the building."Many of my colleagues are still trapped in the office."Fire disasters regularly hit Bangladesh's major cities where safety standards are notoriously lax.
Fire service officials said chemicals illegally stored in an apartment building exploded and set alight five buildings and nearby streets. That blaze took more than 12 hours to control.
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