Fire in 22-storey building in Dhaka kills 19

Firefighters on ladders work to extinguish the blaze. Pic/AFP

A massive fire engulfed a 22-storey building in Dhaka's posh Banani area on Thursday, killing at least 19 people, including a Sri Lankan national, and injuring 70 others, in the second major blaze to hit the Bangladeshi capital since last month.

The incident, which happened on Thursday afternoon in a building that houses several garment shops and internet service providers, left several people trapped inside as the blaze spread to two adjacent buildings.

"Until now we can tell you that the inferno killed 19 people, one of them being a Sri Lankan national. Seventy others are wounded," a senior fire official told PTI. Fire officials said the blaze erupted on the eighth floor of the building and gradually went upward engulfing ninth, 10th and 11th floors, but could not immediately say what sparked the inferno.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates