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At least 50 dead in tragic fire in Bangladesh

It is still not clear if people are still inside the building. Many detainees are said to have jumped out of windows to escape the inferno.

Hundreds of anxious relatives gathered outside the food factory, saying they feared many were unable to get out. Nasr al-Islam is one of them:

– We came here because we couldn’t reach my nephew on the phone. And now the signals are not moving at all. He says we are worried.

A fire broke out in the six-storey factory located in the Rupagang industrial area outside the capital, Dhaka, at night until Friday Swedish time. In the morning it was still going.

Police say they do not know how many workers are missing. At least 25 people must be rescued from the roof of the building.

– When the fire is under control, we can start the search and rescue operation. Then we can confirm if there are more deaths, says Debashish Bardhan, a spokesman for the fire brigade.

According to Dino Muni Sharma, Chief of Dhaka Fire Brigade, the fire started in the food factory due to a large amount of chemicals and plastics stored inside the factory.

Mohamed Sefull, one of the workers who managed to get out, says “dozens” of colleagues are stuck inside the factory.

– I don’t know what happened to them, he says.

Fires are common in Bangladesh, where many industries have significant safety deficiencies. In February 2019, 70 people died in a fire in Dhaka that started in an apartment complex where chemicals were stored illegally.