Central & South Asia

Deaths in Bangladesh slum fire

Hundreds left homeless as fire destroys a shanty town outside the capital Dhaka.
Last Modified: 18 Nov 2012 08:29
The shanty town is home to low-income people, many of whom have now been left homeless.[EPA]

At least 11 people, all women and children, have died in Bangladesh as a fire swept through one of the biggest slums in the capital Dhaka.

Sunday's fire broke out in the early hours of the morning in the densely populated area, destroying more than 500 homes.

Officials said the blaze started in a rickshaw garage as thousands of residents in the Boubazaar shanty town were sleeping.

"The victims were five women and six children. They were burnt to death," local police chief Rafiqul Islam told reporters from the scene.

"The fire service and the locals have brought the blaze under control. Scores of people were also seriously injured," said Islam.

A stove or a cigarette end was suspected to have sparked the fire, he said, adding that residents were scouring through the debris and ashes in search of their possessions.

The shanty town is home to low-income people such as labourers and rickshaw-pullers, many of whom have now been left homeless.

More than 120 people were killed in June 2010 when a fire at a wedding party destroyed six buildings in the densely populated old part of Dhaka.

189

Source:
Agencies
Topics in this article
People
Country
City
Featured on Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera's exclusive publishing of a key Guantanamo prison military document lays bare the brutality of force-feeding.
Former military official says poverty and anger in indigenous communities mean conditions for an "insurgency" are ripe.
A four-part series that gives a rare insight into the country on the move, with history in tow.
Series on the Palestinian 'catastrophe' of 1948 that led to dispossession and conflict that still endures.
Featured
Once a bustling haven, Elasha Biyaha has almost become a ghost town as residents flee.
Two years since the start of the uprising, rebels and Assad's forces remain locked in conflict.
Lebanon-based militia is assisting villagers caught up in the conflict.
A four-part series that gives a rare insight into the country on the move, with history in tow.
Extensive coverage of war crimes tribunals and controversial calls for blasphemy laws.
join our mailing list