DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A fire at a six-story mall in the Bangladeshi capital has killed at least 43 people and injured dozens, the health minister said Friday.
Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen said the fire broke out late Thursday in the building in downtown Dhaka. He added that firefighters rescued survivors and recovered bodies, and by early Friday, at least 43 people had died and 22 others were being treated.
Firefighters said that the fire broke out in a popular restaurant on the first floor of the mall in a crowded commercial area in the heart of the capital, and that the fire trapped many people.
The cause of the fire could not immediately be determined.
Sen said at least 33 people, including women and children, were declared dead at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, while at least 10 others died after being transferred to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burns and Plastic Surgery.
The Director General of the Fire Service and Civil Defense, Brig. General Muhammad Min al-Din.
Rescuers said that at least 75 people, including 42 who lost consciousness, were rescued from the building.
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