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The fire broke out in an upmarket area of Dhaka

Victims of a tower block fire in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Thursday Aung San Suu Kyi cuts a haunted
may have been trapped because emergency exits were locked, officials say. figure at UN genocide court

At least 25 people died and 70 others were injured in the blaze.

Six of the victims are believed to have fallen to their deaths when they jumped from
the burning high-rise building.

Shajahan Shikdar, from Dhaka's fire department, told the BBC's Bengali Service
that there was also a shortage of fire safety equipment inside.

It is not yet clear what caused the fire in the commercial district of Banani. The Women rise up on Baghdad's
government has ordered an investigation. walls

What was the sequence of events?

The fire broke out at about 12:50 local time (06:50 GMT) on Thursday, quickly
engulfing the high-rise property and trapping people inside.

Many are believed to have been stuck on the upper floors of the building, above
where the fire had started. Five big things on Boris Johnson's
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"The fire safety system of this building was not satisfactory," Mr Shikdar told BBC
News. "There was only a narrow, two-feet-wide iron staircase available as a fire
escape, but it was found locked on different floors. So the people in this building
were not able to use it during the fire."

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Officials say some fire exits in the FR Tower were locked, trapping people inside
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According to Bengali newspaper the Daily Star, it took 22 firefighting units, backed
up by the army, navy and air force, to tackle the blaze.

Military helicopters were seen dropping water on the building from above, and
rescuing people from the rooftop.

The fire was eventually brought under control at 16:45 local time (10:45 GMT), after
almost four hours.
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It is not uncommon to see emergency exits locked or unwanted office furniture and moment for US Democrats?
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In the latest incident, the fire service officials said, even those ladders were locked.
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It is still not clear what caused the blaze. The government says a case will be filed
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What have officials said?

Mostaq Ahmed, from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told local media on Friday that
25 victims had been recovered and identified, and that all but one had been handed
over to their families.

He added that officials from the fire service were still inspecting the building, and
that the police would take over shortly afterwards.

The fire service initially put the death toll at 19, but on Friday the police confirmed
that at least six more people had been killed.

Another 70 people are being treated in hospital, with one person said to be in a
critical condition.

EPA

Firefighters stand guard a day after the deadly high-rise fire in the Banani area of Dhaka

How often does this happen?

Large fires are relatively common in Bangladesh, owing to lax safety regulations
and poor building conditions. Hundreds of people have been killed in recent years.

Last month, a massive blaze in Dhaka's old quarter killed at least 78 people
and injured dozens more.

That same month, a fire in a slum in the coastal city of Chittagong killed at
least nine people.

Dhaka, with a population of more than 18 million, is one of the world's most densely
populated cities. Some 3.5 million of its people live in slums, according to the World
Bank.

Related Topics
Dhaka Bangladesh

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