Slum fire kills 11 in Bangladesh capital

DHAKA: At least 11 people, four being children and six women, were killed overnight as a fire, ignited apparently from a mosquito coil, engulfed an entire slum at downtown Hazaribagh area in the capital.

“We recovered the 11 charred bodies...seven people were sent to hospital with severe burn injuries,” fire service official Ruhul Ameen told Gulf News.

Several private television channels, however, quoting witnesses put the toll as high as 14 as the fire burnt some 100 shanties

The reports said the fire ignited at around 3 in the morning while several fire engines reached the scene within a short time but it took firefighters hours together to extinguish the blaze.