At least 31 bodies of the victims who were killed in the devastating fire at a commercial building in the capital’s Baily Road area have been handed over to families.
The bodies were handed over without autopsy at the request of family members, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) New Market Zone Assistant Commissioner Refatul Islam said.
Abdur Rahman, district relief and rehabilitation officer of Dhaka district administration, said so far 39 bodies have been identified, with the remaining six bodies requiring DNA testing for identification.
Eleven of the bodies that were handed over have been identified as Nazia, 35, Arhan Mustafa, 8, Sankalp Poddar, 12, Mimu, 20, Jannatin, 23, Syeda Fatema Tuz Zohra, 17, Riya, 23, Swapna Akhter, 37, Pompi Saha, 46, Mehera Kabir Dola, 25, Maisha Kabir Mahi, 20.
At least 45 people were killed, and over 20 others sustained severe injuries by a devastating fire on Thursday night.
Firefighters rescued 70 people, including 42 in unconscious state, from the rooftop and different floors of the seven-storey Green Cozy Cottage.
The fire broke out at the restaurant named “Kacchi Bhai” on the first floor around 9:45pm. Many people were dining in the restaurants when the fire spread to other floors.
Most of the people died as they jumped off the building or from burns or suffocation, said firefighters who brought the fire under control around 12:30am.
Fire officials say the blaze spread fast due to the presence of gas cylinders on several floors in the restaurant kitchens. People could not leave the building due to smoke in the staircase.
