By The Associated Press on February 29, 2024.
DHAKA,Bangladesh (AP) – A fire at a six-story commercial building in the Bangladeshi capital overnight killed at least 43 people and injured dozens of others, the health minister said Friday. Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen said the fire broke out late Thursday in the building in Dhaka’s Bailey Road area. Firefighters rescued survivors and pulled out dead bodies, and by early Friday, at least 43 people died and at least 22 others were being treated, he said. Firefighters said the fire began in a popular restaurant on the first floor of the building, and that many people were trapped by the fire. Sen said at least 33 people, including women and children, were declared dead at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, while at least 10 others died after being taken to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. 5