Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The fire broke out in an upmarket area of Dhaka

Victims of a tower block fire in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Thursday may have been trapped because emergency exits were locked, officials say.

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 government has ordered an investigation.

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.

"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."

Image copyright AFP Image caption Officials say some fire exits in the FR Tower were locked, trapping people inside

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.

'There will be questions'

Analysis by Anbarasan Ethirajan, BBC South Asia Regional Editor

The Bangladeshi capital is a city of high-rise commercial and residential buildings - but how many of these buildings strictly adhere to the government's building code is a big question.

It is not uncommon to see emergency exits locked or unwanted office furniture and other junk dumped near fire doors. In some places, the fire exit stairs are so narrow that it will be difficult to navigate through them even under bright light.

Some buildings do not carry out regular fire drills or organise awareness programmes for its occupants. In some buildings, steel ladders are used as fire exits and I have seen them particularly in some clothing factories outside Dhaka.

In the latest incident, the fire service officials said, even those ladders were locked. Rescue teams also found that there were no water sprinklers inside the tall building.

It is still not clear what caused the blaze. The government says a case will be filed against the owner of the building.

But there will be questions on how such a commercial building without proper fire safety measures was allowed to operate all these years.

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.

Image copyright EPA Image caption 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.</s>DHAKA, Bangladesh — A fire broke out on Thursday in a large office tower in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, killing at least four people and trapping an untold number inside, the local news media reported.

Videos circulating on social media showed large flames burning through the 24-story building, F.R. Tower, and at least one person was seen jumping or falling.</s>A fire broke out on Thursday in a large office tower in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, trapping an untold number inside, the local news media reported.

Videos circulating on social media showed large flames burning through the building, and at least one person was jumping or falling from the 19-story building.

The fire broke out just before 1 p.m. at FR Tower in the Banani neighborhood, Officer Ataur Rahman of the Dhaka Fire Service told the Dhaka Tribune.</s>DHAKA, Bangladesh —At least 19 people have been killed and dozens more injured after a fire broke out in a commercial highrise building in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, the fire brigade said Thursday.

The fire erupted at the 19-story Faruk Rupayan Tower in Dhaka's northern Babani area, Fire Service and Civil Defense department official Rasel Sikder said.

The bodies of 13 people have been recovered from the scene, Abdus Samad Azad, another official at the department, told dpa by phone. Six others died in hospitals.

The bodies were at different hospitals in the city, he added.</s>DHAKA: Several people were feared trapped in a 22-storey building which caught fire in Dhaka's Banani area on Thursday in the latest blaze to hit the Bangladeshi capital.

The incident happened on Thursday afternoon in the building that houses several garment shops and internet service providers.

The actual number of people inside the building when the fire broke out was not known.

"The fire broke out at FR Tower around 12:52 pm on Thursday,"Ataur Rahman, an officer of the Dhaka Fire Service Central Control Room, was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune.

"Twenty one firefighting units of the Dhaka Fire Service and Civil Defence are trying to douse the fire," he said .

Apart from the fire tenders, Bangladesh Air force helicopters and Navy commandos have been sent to the spot to douse the blaze.

The blaze was such that over half a dozen people jumped off from various floors of the high-rise, while the ambulances on the ground immediately rushed them to the hospital, other senior officials at the spot said.

While the actual reason behind the blaze was not known, eye witnesses and a government officer at the spot said that the fire broke out on the eight floor of the building and later spread to the other parts.

However, fire service did not comment on what caused the fire.

"Three units of Bangladesh Navy are working to tame the blaze.

We have brought around 50 per cent of the fire under control,"Siraj, a Navy officer, said.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director Abdullah Ibn Zaid said that three Bangladesh Air Force helicopters are aiding the search and rescue operations, along with teams from the Bangladesh Army and Navy.

"Many have taken shelter on the roof, and some are asking for rescue through windows, the paper quoted him as saying.

The officials concerned have reported that several groups of people have already been rescued from the burning building.

Last month at least 70 people were killed and over 50 injured when a fast-moving fire swept through an apartment buildings and chemical warehouses in Dhaka's congested Chawkbazar area.</s>Criminal case to be filed in Bangladesh fire that killed 25

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A Bangladeshi housing official said Friday criminal charges would be filed against the owner of a building where a fire killed 25 people and which had four upper floors constructed illegally.

Minister for Housing and Public Work S.M. Rezaul Karim also pledged to take action against officials in his ministry if they were guilty of wrongdoing associated with allowing the added floors or other violations.

Raising buildings beyond approved design is rampant in Bangladesh, where the government is seeking fast economic development and the private sector is expanding.

The blaze that burned for several hours Thursday trapped people inside the building, some shouting for help from windows on upper floors and the roof. By Friday morning, no smoke was visible at the FR Tower on a busy avenue in Dhaka's Banani commercial district.

Mostak Ahmed, a deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told The Associated Press on Friday that the death toll rose to 25 with all but one identified. Based on information provided by relatives, no one appeared to still be unaccounted for, he said. "Still we are checking, if someone comes to us we will verify," he said.

The fire injured about 70 people, many of them now being treated at Dhaka Medical College Hospital's burn unit.

The fire was the latest in a country where crowding, flouted building regulations and safety norms have made deadly blazes common.

Last month, a fire in the oldest part of Dhaka, a 400-year-old area cramped with apartments, shops and warehouses, left at least 67 people dead.

In 2012, a fire at a garment factory killed at least 112 people trapped behind its locked gates. Less than six months later, another building containing garment factories collapsed, killing more than 1,100 people.

Another fire in a house illegally storing chemicals in Old Dhaka killed at least 123 people in 2010.</s>DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Fire breaks out in building in Bangladesh's capital, many believed trapped inside.</s>DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A fire in a high-rise office building in Bangladesh’s capital has been brought under full control with the death toll climbing to 25, fire officials said Friday.

The blaze that burned for several hours Thursday had trapped people inside the building, some shouting for help from windows on upper floors and the roof. But fire officials later said most had been rescued. By Friday morning, no smoke was visible and firefighters and forensic investigators were working at the scene.

Mostak Ahmed, a deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told The Associated Press on Friday that the death toll rose to 25 with all but one identified. Based on information provided by relatives, no one appeared to still be unaccounted for, he said. “Still we are checking, if someone comes to us we will verify,” he said.

The fire injured about 70 people, many of them now being treated at Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s burn unit.

Fire Service duty officer Forhadul Alam said hospital authorities have started handing over the bodies to their families.

The fire at the FR Tower, on a busy avenue in Dhaka’s Banani commercial district, was the latest in a country where crowding, flouted building regulations and safety norms have made deadly blazes common.

Last month, a fire in the oldest part of Dhaka, a 400-year-old area cramped with apartments, shops and warehouses, left at least 67 people dead.

In 2012, a fire at a garment factory killed at least 112 people trapped behind its locked gates. Less than six months later, another building containing garment factories collapsed, killing more than 1,100 people.

Another fire in a house illegally storing chemicals in Old Dhaka killed at least 123 people in 2010.</s>DHAKA: The death toll from a horrific blaze that ripped through a Bangladesh skyscraper rose on Friday (Mar 29) to 25, including some who leapt to their deaths, as firefighters combed through the charred shell of the building.

A day after flames tore through the 22-storey FR Tower in Dhaka, trapping hundreds of office workers, police said they intended to talk to the owner of the building as part of their enquiry.



Some of those stuck inside made it to safety by sliding down cables on the side of the building, but as shocked onlookers watched, others took their chances and jumped in a bid to escape the smoke and heat.

At least six people including a Sri Lankan national died this way, officials said.

Senior fire service official Mohsin Ali told AFP rescuers were scouring the building, concentrating on the worst-affected eighth-to-tenth floors.

The fire department intially put the death toll at 19 but police said Friday that six more had died in the fire.

"The death toll is 25. We have handed over 24 bodies to their relatives," deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Mostak Ahmed told AFP. The other victim's remains are being held until relatives are located.

Ahmed said police also wanted to speak to the owner of the building after authorities alleged the tower lacked adequate safety measures.

There was no immediate indication if others are missing, but more than 70 people were treated in hospital in the wake of the blaze.

The fire erupted on Thursday afternoon in the upmarket Banani commercial district.

Hundreds of onlookers gathered to watch as trapped workers screamed for help from smoke-logged floors.

Firefighters backed by military specialists - some in helicopters - tackled the blaze, lowering ropes to help people escape, while rescuers on long ladders smashed through windows.

Bangladesh authorities have ordered a probe into the incident, amid official claims that the skyscraper lacked fire equipment, its fire exits were inadequate and it had been illegally extended.

The inferno erupted barely a month after at least 70 people were killed in Dhaka apartment buildings where illegally stored chemicals exploded.

According to a 2012 study by Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, most high-rise buildings in Dhaka have inadequate fire safety measures.

"We found only two buildings fully compliant," BUET professor Mehedi Ahmed Ansari said of the survey, adding some of the buildings they looked at were little more than "death traps".

Fire department director Shakil Newaj said they had warned the FR Tower management to improve fire safety standards, but they did not pay heed.

"Fire safety measures in the building were very weak. There were no sprinklers. Fire exits existed only in name," Newaj told AFP.

A June 2010 fire in the nearby neighbourhood of Nimtoli, one of the most densely populated districts of the capital, killed 123 people.

In November 2012, a fire swept through a nine-story garment factory near Dhaka killing 111 workers. An investigation found it was caused by sabotage and that managers at the plant had prevented victims from escaping.

Experts said inspections of buildings in the city frequently found fire stairs blocked with stored goods and exit doors locked.</s>Fire breaks out in building in Bangladesh's capital, many believed trapped inside

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Fire breaks out in building in Bangladesh's capital, many believed trapped inside.
A fire breaks out in Dhaka, Bangladesh, at a 22-story tower, killing at least 25 people and injuring more than 70 others.