Death toll from Old Dhaka fire jumps to 70

Staff Correspondent: The death toll from the fire at several houses in Chawkbazar area of Old Dhaka has jumped to 70.

The fire broke out around 10:40pm on Wednesday at a chemical warehouse on the ground floor of a building named Razzak Bhaban. The flames then quickly spread through several other buildings nearby.

Thirty-seven units of firefighters from 13 fire stations brought the fire under control around 3:00am.

Scores were also injured in the incident. Of them, 41 were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital till 5:40am. The death toll is feared to rise, sources said.

The incident brings to mind the Nimtoli fire that killed 123 in 2010. It had sparked a public outcry, demanding relocation of chemical warehouses and stores from the area, but little has been done in the last nine years.

risingbd/Dhaka/Feb 21, 2019/Maksud/Mukul