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Deadly building fire in Dhaka kills 70, injures 50 others

NEW DELHI, Feb 21 (KUNA) -- At least 70 people were killed and 50 others injured on Thursday when a fast-moving fire spread through apartment buildings and chemical warehouses in Bangladesh capital Dhaka.
The fire broke out Wednesday night on the ground floor of a five-storied building named Hazi Wahed Mansion which was used as a chemical warehouse in the densely populated Chawkbazar area and the flames swept through four other nearby buildings, killing at least 70 people including women and children, and injuring 50 others, police said.
The multiple chemical godowns in the region helped the fire to spread rapidly, Dhaka Metropolitan Police officials were quoted as saying, adding the death toll may go up sharply as there are dozens of people trapped inside the buildings.
Around 37 fire fighting units are at the spot but due to the narrow lanes the authorities are forced to use helicopters and long pipes to douse the fire. "Most of the bodies were retrieved from the houses around that building while fire fighters now prepare to enter into the building, the main spot in search of more bodies," Press Trust of India quoted a police official as saying.
The fire probably broke out from a gas cylinder and spread rapidly thanks to chemicals stored in the area, Bangladesh fire service officer Ali Ahmed said. "The flames raced through four adjoining buildings, which were also used as chemical warehouses. There was a traffic jam when the fire broke out. It spread so quickly that people could not escape," he added.
When the fire broke main gate of one of the doomed buildings were locked trapping the inhabitants inside. Most of the victims traced so far are passersby, visitors at food joints and members of a wedding party. First floor of the five story building where the fire broke out was used as a warehouse of plastic goods, cosmetics and perfume while the upper floors were used as living spaces. (end) atk.mt