A fire at a shopping mall in the capital of Bangladesh has claimed the lives of at least 43 people, including women and children, according to the health minister.
According to the health minister, a fire that occurred at a six-story shopping mall in the capital of Bangladesh claimed the lives of 43 individuals and left many others injured. The incident took place overnight and was reported on Friday.
According to the Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen, a fire broke out on Thursday night in a building located in the downtown area of Dhaka. Rescue efforts by firefighters led to the recovery of survivors and deceased individuals. By early Friday, the death toll had reached 43 and 22 people were undergoing treatment.
MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images
According to firefighters, the fire started in a well-known eatery located on the lower level of the shopping center in a bustling business area in the center of the city. They also reported that numerous individuals were unable to escape the fire.
A video uploaded on social media by the Bangladesh Fire Service & Civil Defence displayed firefighters using a crane to assist in the evacuation of individuals from the higher floors of a mall, while a large gathering of emergency responders waited for them below.
The origin of the fire was not immediately known.
According to Sen, a minimum of 33 individuals, including females and children, were pronounced deceased at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Additionally, at least 10 others passed away after being transferred to Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
Mohammad Altaf, an employee at the mall, informed Reuters that he leapt out of a window to preserve his own life. Sadly, two of his colleagues did not survive.
According to Altaf, when the fire started in the front and shattered the glass, our cashier and servicemen assisted everyone in getting out. Unfortunately, both of them passed away later. In order to save myself, I had to break a window in the kitchen and jump out.
More than twelve teams of firefighters were dispatched to extinguish the blaze at the Green Cozy Cottage Shopping Mall, according to Brigadier General Md. Main Uddin, Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defense.
Rescuers reported that they were able to save 75 individuals from the building, with 42 of them being unconscious.
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