Bailey Road Fire: Death Toll Reaches 46

The death toll from Thursday night's devastating fire that tore through a commercial building in the capital’s Bailey Road reached 46 on Friday morning. And it may rise further, according to the health minister.

“None of the admitted 12 patients are out of danger," Health Minister Dr Samanta Lal Sen said while talking to the media at the Shaikh Hasina Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery on Friday morning.

All the deaths were due to inhalation of carbon monoxide gas from the fire, he said.

"We are providing treatment. I will sit with the doctors and plan how to give better treatment. However, I request everyone not to crowd the hospital. The Prime Minister took responsibility for all the patients. The government will take all measures for the treatment of the injured," added the minister.

A total of 35 bodies were handed over to family and relatives, Dhaka Medical College Police Outpost In-Charge Inspector Bachchu Mia confirmed to the media on Friday morning.

Minister of State for Disaster Management and Relief Muhibur Rahman, said Tk 25,000 each would be given to the deceased’s family.

Five bodies are yet to be identified, he said.

More than 100 people trapped in the fire have been rescued, said Md Arifur Rahman, RAB-3 Deputy Director (Media) on Friday morning.

Meanwhile, the Fire Service and Civil Defence formed a five-member committee headed by Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director (Operation and Maintenance) to investigate the cause of the fire, said DAD Shahjahan Sikder of FSCD headquarters media cell.

The other members of the committee are Fire Service Deputy Director of Dhaka Division Md Saleh Uddin, DAD of the concerned zone, senior station officer and warehouse inspector.

The fire broke out at the six-storey building, the Green Cozy Cottage Shopping Mall, that housed a number of restaurants, including the very popular Kacchi Bhai, at almost the peak time for dinner, when it was buzzing with patrons.

The Fire Service Director General Brigadier General Md Main Uddin said the building had just one shop while the rest of the outlets were all restaurants. Gas cylinders were littered throughout the building, including on the staircase, and they were used for cooking. Any one of them or a gas stove could have exploded and caused the fire. The actual reason will be known after investigation, he maintained.

The building also had no fire exit, and Main Uddin said. The building was primed for an accident like this, he added.

Shahjadi Sultana, duty officer of Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) headquarters control room, said firefighters in association with members of police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) brought the flame under control around 11:50 pm, two hours after the ablaze erupted.

Earlier bodies of 33 deceased were kept at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, and 10 at Sheikh Hasina Burn Institute and one at Rajarbagh Police Lines Hospital, Inspector Bacchu Miah, in-charge of DMCH Police Outpost, told the media on Friday morning._UNB