Firefighters were combing through the charred shell of a Bangladesh skyscraper Friday where at least 19 people died in a high-rise blaze, with many having jumped to their deaths.
"We have handed over 24 bodies to their relatives", deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Mostak Ahmed told AFP.
Fire Service duty officer Forhadul Alam said hospital authorities have started handing over the bodies to their families.
As the fire climbed higher on Thursday afternoon, more employees broke the building's blue-colored glass and screamed for help.
He said according to the government papers, the building was supposed to be a 18-storey structure while four more floors were constructed defying the design approved by the authorities.
Horrifying footage of the fire at the FR Tower at approximately 12:52pm local time Thursday shows helpless onlookers gathered on the streets below as firefighters continue to tackle the blaze.
There is no confirmed report of casualty yet but more feared to be trapped.
The deaths of the fire victims have been termed as murders as they died due to the negligence of building owner, developer and others who were involved with the construction of the building, said the minister.
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Some people were trapped inside the building when it caught fire.
More than 100 people had been rescued from the building through helicopters and ladders, Julfikar Rahman, director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, told Reuters from the scene.
One person slipped from what appeared to be a rope used in the escape, then bounced off utility wires before falling to the ground.
Military helicopters also joined the rescue in the Banani district of Dhaka.
More than a dozen people who fled to the roof were rescued by firefighters using hydraulic cranes, Bardhan said.
"There was little fire-fighting equipment in the building and it was not in working condition". "We are seeking doa from the countrymen for the early recovery of the injured people".
It should be mentioned here that February 20, at least 70 people were killed and over 50 injured when a fast-moving fire swept through an apartment buildings and chemical warehouses in the congested Chawkbazar area.
The disaster recalled a June 2010 fire in the nearby neighbourhood of Nimtoli in which 123 people were killed.
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