Death toll rises to six in Uttara building fire

The death toll climbed to six after a fire broke out at a residential building in the capital’s Uttara area early Friday.

The blaze erupted on the second floor of a seven-storey building in Uttara Sector 11 at around 7:50am. Two firefighting units rushed to the spot after receiving the alert and brought the fire under control by about 8:25am, Fire Service official Talha Bin Jasim said.

Firefighters later rescued 13 people from the building and took them to Kuwait Bangladesh Friendship Government Hospital in Uttara, where the attending physician declared six of them dead.

The deceased were identified as Marodela (14), daughter of Shahidul and Shiuli Akhter, from the Dariparshi area under Ishwarganj police station in Mymensingh district; Md Rishan, aged two months and five days, son of Fazle Rabbi Rizvi and Afsara Akhter Subarna, from the Nunua Dighirpar area under Cumilla Sadar police station; and Fazle Rabbi Rizvi (18), son of Kazi Khorshedul Alam and Ferdous Ara, also from Nunua Dighirpar of Cumilla Sadar.

The other victims were Md Harish Uddin (52), son of Hafiz Uddin and Sahera Khatun, from Dariparshi in Ishwarganj, Mymensingh; Md Rahab (17), son of Hafiz Uddin and Rina, a resident of the same area; and Afsana, whose detailed identity has yet to be confirmed.

The fire was fully extinguished by 10am. The cause of the blaze could not be determined immediately.