The fire started late Thursday on the ground floor of a six-story factory building in Narayanganj, southeast of Dhaka, and was still raging Friday evening as firefighters scrambled to control it.
Flames rose from the top floors of the building, where many workers had jumped out from to escape, as a key exit out of the working areas was locked, said fire official Abdullah Al Arefin.
“Three people died from jumping off the building to escape the fire and 49 charred bodies have been recovered,” Mustain Billah, the administrator for the Narayanganj district, told Reuters by phone from the scene.
“Firefighters are struggling to control it, as chemicals and flammable materials were stored inside the building,” he added.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, but police official Abdullah Al Mamun told reporters that three police teams have been dispatched to probe the incident and legal action would be taken against those responsible for the fire.
