TV Reports: Fire in food factory in Bangladesh kills dozens

Fire

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh TV stations say at least 49 people have died in a fire that broke out at a food and beverage factory outside the country’s capital.

A fire service official, Russel Shikder, confirmed that a fire began Thursday night at the five-story Hashem Food and Beverage Ltd. factory in Rupganj, just outside Dhaka. He said additional details were not yet clear.

Ekattor TV quoted an unidentified senior fire official as saying on Friday that at least 49 people had died. It said rescuers were trying to recover the bodies from the burned factory, which was locked from the inside when the fire began, and had recovered 17 bodies so far.

Details of the cause of the fire, how many people were inside the factory and how many were missing were not immediately available.