A massive blaze in a Bangladesh factory killed at least 52 people as emergency services brought out bodies even as the building was still in flames.
The blaze broke out in the factory in Rupganj, near Dhaka, on Thursday afternoon and was still burning nearly 24 hours later.
At least 30 people were injured including some who jumped from the upper floor after the fire quickly raced through the six-storey factory, police inspector Sheikh Kabirul Islam said.
Police initially said dozens of workers were still missing but later retracted and said they were unsure how many were unaccounted for.
Firefighters rescued 25 people from the roof of the factory, which produced noodles and drinks, but could not confirm further casualties.
“Once the fire is under control, we will conduct a search and rescue operation inside. Then we can confirm any further casualties, if any,” Debashish Bardhan, fire service spokesman, told AFP.
Fires are common in Bangladesh due to lax enforcement of safety rules.
In February 2019, at least 70 people died when an inferno ripped through several Dhaka apartment blocks.
Mohammad Saiful, a factory worker who escaped the fire, said there were dozens of people inside when the blaze began.
“On the third floor, gates on both stairwells were closed. Other colleagues are saying there were 48 people inside. I don’t know what happened to them,” he said.
Mamun, another worker, said he and another 13 workers ran to the roof after the fire broke out on the ground floor and black smoke covered the whole factory.
“Fire fighters brought us down by using rope,” he told reporters.
As clouds of smoke billowed from the factory building, hundreds of distraught people gathered outside to find out updates of their kins.
One of them was Nazrul Islam.
“We came here because my niece was not receiving our phone calls for a while. And now the phone is not ringing at all. We are worried,” he said.
