52 Dead After Massive Fire Engulfs Bangladesh Food Factory

A fire engulfed a food and beverage factory outside Bangladesh’s capital on Friday, killing at least 52 people.

The Associated Press reports that, so far, 52 bodies have been recovered, but the top two floors of the factory have yet to be searched. Police initially gave a toll of three dead, but then discovered piles of bodies on Friday afternoon after the fire was extinguished.

The blaze began Thursday night at the five-story Hashem Foods Ltd. factory in Rupganj, just outside Dhaka, Debashis Bardhan, deputy director of the fire service and civil defense, told CNN. The main exit of the factory was locked from the inside and many of those who died were trapped.

Twenty-five people were rescued from the building, officials said. At least 50 people, mostly factory workers and employees, were injured in the fire.

The fire was brought under control by Friday afternoon, BSS reported, and relatives of missing workers were staging demonstrations outside and around the factory premises.

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. Meanwhile, the Narayanganj district administration has formed a five-member probe committee to examine the incident, according to Reuters.