Authorities have called off rescue operation after dousing the ghastly fire at Chawkbazar which has claimed lives of about 70 people so far.
Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sayeed Khokon called off rescue operation officially around 12:10pm after nearly 14 hours of efforts.
Maj Shakil Newaz Bhuiyan, a director of Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence, has confirmed The Daily Star of the development.
Dhaka’s Additional Deputy Commissioner Shafiqul Islam told the bodies will be handed over to legal custodians after autopsy.
The bodies have been kept at Dhaka Medical College morgue for identification. So far, about 31 bodies have been identified and the rest charred beyond recognition.
Sohel Mahmud, head of forensics at Dhaka Medical College, told that unidentified corpses will be subjected to DNA testing.
Primarily, the district administration will be handing Tk 20,000 for burial during handover of the bodies, Additional Deputy Commissioner Shafiqul said.
Last report from Chawkbazar, a few teams of fire fighters were still at the spot on standby and additional police deployed. The fire fighters formed one probe body to investigate.
Bangladesh government said it will compensate the victims and that it was “a lesson learned” to avert any recurrence in the future.
GLIMPSES OF THE FIRE INCIDENT
According to several eyewitnesses and survivors, the fire began after a big blast in Chawkbazar, a hub in Old Dhaka, around 10:40pm.
According to what can be ascertained, the fire sparked out from a chemical warehouse on the ground floor of the five-storied building named Hazi Wahed Mansion.
The flames quickly spread to three other buildings nearby, including a community centre.
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