Tragedy struck on Thursday night as a devastating fire ravaged a commercial building on Bailey Road, housing several restaurants in the national capital. The inferno claimed the lives of at least 44 people and left over 20 severely injured.
Firefighters embarked on a perilous rescue mission, managing to save 70 individuals, including 42 who were found unconscious, from the seven-story Green Cosy Cottage.
Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen, Dhaka-8 lawmaker AFM Bahauddin Nasim, and senior law enforcement officials swiftly rushed to the scene to assess the dire situation.
Addressing the media at 2 am, Sen tragically reported 33 fatalities at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and an additional 10 at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. The Inspector General of Police later confirmed another death at the Central Police Hospital, bringing the total to 44 casualties.
In a press briefing, IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun disclosed that 75 individuals had been rescued, some of whom received first aid before safely returning home.
Firefighters, battling the blaze, managed to bring it under control around 12:30 am. They shared that most victims succumbed to injuries sustained from jumping off the building or from burns and suffocation. The grim task of transporting the bodies from the building to a waiting truck commenced at 1 am.
The fire, originating at the "Kacchi Bhai" restaurant on the first floor around 9:45 pm, rapidly spread to other levels where patrons were dining. Thirteen Fire Service units worked tirelessly to quell the flames, with support from Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), General Ansar, and Ansar Guard Battalion (AGB).
Fire officials attributed the swift spread of the blaze to gas cylinders present in restaurant kitchens on multiple floors. The thick smoke in the staircase impeded people's ability to exit the building promptly, exacerbating the severity of the situation.
