Seven killed, millions USD loss in massive fire at Bangladesh's biggest shopping complex

DHAKA. March 14. KAZINFORM A big fire which broke out at Bangladesh's biggest shopping complex Bashundhara City in Dhaka on Friday afternoon, claimed at least 7 people's lives and caused huge financial losses.

Major Sheikh Md. Shahjalal, senior officer of Bangladesh's Fire Service and Civil Defense told Xinhua outside of the complex on Friday evening six more bodies were recovered from the building after the fire was extinguished. Hospital sources earlier said one fire fighter died in hospital and at least 18 other people were injured, two of them in critical condition. Meanwhile, the economic loss is primarily estimated at about 1 billion tanka (about 14.3 million U.S. dollars), said Tim Latiful Hussain, adviser to the chairman of Bashundhara Group, the owner of the posh shopping mall. Hussain said the 16th to the top 19th floor were completely burnt in the fire. The fire, which began from about 1:30 p.m. local time (GMT 0730)at the 17th floor, first engulfed the top three floors and then spread downward to the 12th floor. The devastating fire was put out completely in the evening after hours of frantic efforts by fire fighters who lacked enough high-rise ladders, Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defense Brigadier General Abu Nayeem Md Shahidullah said. Shahidullah told Xinhua that the fire burnt 8 floors of the 19-storey building from the 12th to the top. He said the 13th-19th floors were mostly damaged. He blamed the lack of equipment for the delay of the rescue operation. He said they have only one 90-meter-high ladder while in today's situation four such ladders were needed. Following the severe situation, Bangladesh's Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has asked the three armed forces, security agencies and all emergency rescue services to join the rescue operations. A helicopter was mobilized in the afternoon and successfully rescued a trapped man on the top of the building. Rescuers said lots of official documents and valuables were burnt in the fire which would brought huge losses to the Bashundhrara Group, a leading business group in the country. Local reports said corporate offices of the Bashundhrara Group were at the top floors including its chairman Ahmed Akber Sobhan's office. The Group, which employs over 3,500 people, is involved inmany sectors including the real estate, manufacturing and trading. Bashundhara City, a multi-faceted shopping mall-cum-recreation center, is the most-recent addition to the Group. The upper part of the complex is for office use while its first eight floors serve as the shopping mall, one of the biggest in South Asia, which accommodates some 2,500 shops as well as a cinema and cafes. General Secretary of the Bashundhrara City Shops Owners Association Khalilur Rahman said there was no damage to the shopping mall but it will remain closed on Saturday and Sunday following the fire. The road near the building was closed off to traffic after the fire broke out causing long tailbacks on adjoining roads for hours. The reason of the fire could not be known. A three-member high-level inquiry committee, led by Bangladesh's Home Secretary Abdus Sobhan, has been formed to probe into the fire incident. The other two members are Inspector General of Police Noor Muhammad and Fire Brigade chief Shahidullah. Local reports said the number of fire incidents in Bangladesh increased alarmingly in the last few years. According to information available with the Fire Service and Civil Defense, during 2002-2006 over 35,000 devastating fire incidents claimed 1,023 lives and destroyed properties worth 10 billion tanka (about 143 million U.S. dollars) in the country. Local reports said construction of multi-storied buildings by ignoring fire prevention and extinguishing act and lack of awareness have been responsible for the increasing trend of fire incidents, Kazinform cites Xinhua.