Bangladesh skyscraper fire kills 25

Helicopters were called in to tackle the blaze in the 22-storey building in Dhaka's business district. (AP photo)
Helicopters were called in to tackle the blaze in the 22-storey building in Dhaka's business district. (AP photo)

DHAKA: The death toll from a horrific blaze that ripped through a Bangladesh skyscraper this week rose to 25, including some who jumped to their deaths.

A day after flames tore through the 22-storey FR Tower in Dhaka, trapping hundreds of office workers, police said they intended to talk to the owner of the building as part of their enquiry.

Some of those stuck inside made it to safety by sliding down cables on the side of the building, but as shocked onlookers watched, others took their chances and jumped in a bid to escape the smoke and heat.

At least six people died in this way, officials said.

The fire department intially put the death toll at 19 but police said Friday that six more had died in the fire.

Police also wanted to speak to the owner of the building after authorities alleged the tower lacked adequate safety measures.

The fire started on Thursday afternoon in the upmarket Banani commercial district.

Helicopters were called in to tackle the blaze in the 22-storey building.

Fire disasters regularly hit Bangladesh's major cities where safety standards are notoriously lax.

(Reuters video)

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Vocabulary

  • adequate: good enough or large enough for a particular purpose - พอเพียง
  • cable: thick strong metal rope used on ships, for supporting bridges, etc. - สายเคเบิ้ล, เชือกหรือเหล็กเส้นขนาดใหญ่
  • death toll: the number of people killed - ยอดผู้เสียชีวิต
  • enquiry (noun): an official process to find out the cause of something or to find out information about something - การไต่สวน, การสอบถาม
  • escape (verb): to get away from a place; to leave a place where you are in danger - หนี
  • flames: the brightly burning gases that you see coming from a fire - เปลวไฟ, เปลวเพลิง
  • lack (verb): to not have something - ขาด
  • lax: not paying enough attention to rules, or not caring enough about quality or safety - ละเลย
  • notoriously: famous for something bad - ซึ่งมีชื่อเสียงในทางไม่ดี
  • onlookers: people who watch something that is happening in a public place but are not involved in it - ผู้ดูเหตุการณ์
  • trapped: to be in a dangerous or unpleasant situation from which it is difficult or impossible to escape - ถูกกับดัก

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