Bangladesh firefighters Friday blamed safety flaws for a Dhaka restaurant fire that killed 45 people, with additional deaths expected among those in serious condition.
The fire broke out at a popular biryani restaurant in the affluent Bailey Road area, causing the entire structure to engulf in flames that took two hours to extinguish.
Rezaul Karim, director of fire department operations, said the blaze was exacerbated by several cooking gas cylinders placed carelessly in stairwells and restaurant kitchens.
“People heard the explosions of several gas cylinders during the fire”, Karim explained.
Main Uddin, the national fire service chief, stated that the building lacked safety safeguards.
“It did not have at least two staircases or fire exit”, he continued.
“Most of the people died from suffocation”, he added.
Fire authorities had informed the media that they believed the inferno started when one of the gas cylinders caught fire accidentally.
Bacchu Mia, a police inspector, reported that another individual died on Friday morning while being treated in the hospital.
“The death toll has now reached 45. The conditions of 15-16 injured people are critical”, Mia added.
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