A massive fire at a seven-storey building in Bangladesh's Dhaka killed at least 43 people and left 22 others injured, Health Minister Dr Samanta Lal Sen said on Friday.
The condition of those injured is "critical", Sen said. Doctors said some of the bodies were burned beyond recognition and feared that the death toll could rise.
The fire broke out around 9:50 pm on Thursday at a restaurant on the building's first floor and quickly spread to the upper floors that had more restaurants and a garment shop, according to fire service officials cited in a news agency PTI report.
The officials said 75 people, including 42 in unconscious state, were taken out of the seven-storey building, adding that thirteen fire service units were mobilised.
"Thirty-three people died at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and 10 at (the nearby) Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery," Sen said.
The minister, reportedly a burn wound specialist, said 22 people are being treated at both the health facilities and their condition is "critical".
The respiratory system of those who have survived so far has been seriously damaged, Sen said at the DMCH.
Witnesses and officials said to escape the fire, people rushed to the upper floors. Many were rescued by fire-fighters using ladders, they added.
