Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Dhaka office block inferno kills five with many feared trapped

A FIRE broke out at a 22-storey building in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka on Thursday (28), killing at least five people, injuring 60 and trapping many, officials said.

Many of those trapped waved frantically from the building’s windows and roof, witnesses said, as passersby stood watching and praying below.


Helicopters were brought in to join 22 firefighting units that worked with the army, navy, air force and police to battle the blaze as smoke billowed into the sky.

"The fire is almost under control,” said Mizanur Rahman, a senior fire service official at the scene.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. The building is in the upscale, built-up Banani area of the city.

Many students gathered to help fire and police officials in the rescue work.

One student, Faisal Rifayat, said he saw three people attempting to escape by climbing out of the eighth floor soon after the fire began, but one fell and was later declared dead.

Nanda, a finance manager at the IT firm AAMRA which has offices on four different floors in the building, said he managed to escape with 20 colleagues.

Three people died after jumping from the blazing 19-floor building while two others appeared to have died from the effects of the blaze, officials said.

"Three people appear to have died afer jumping from upper floors of the building," United Hospital spokesman Sazzadur Rahman Shuvo said. They had serious head injuries but no apparent burns.

He said at least eight other people were being treated at the hospital.

A military spokesman, Abdullah Ibne Zaid, said the body of a Sri Lankan man was brought to the army's Kurmitola Hospital and another 45 people were being treated there. Another fatality was reported at the Dhaka Medical College hospital.

Helicopters dropped water on the blaze as flames and thick black smoke poured out of the windows.

Scores of firefighters were backed by navy and air force specialists, authorities said.

Hundreds of panicked onlookers crowded the streets in the upmarket Banani commercial district.

Shoikot Rahman ran to safety after hearing colleagues raise the alarm, narrowly escaping the smoke and flames engulfing the building.

"When I heard a fire broke out in the building, I quickly rushed out of the building," he said.

"Many of my colleagues are still trapped in the office."

There was no official word on how many people were trapped inside.

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

(Reuters/AFP)

More For You

Minouche Shafik

Shafik served as deputy governor for markets and banking at the Bank of England between August 2014 and February 2017.

Reuters

Starmer appoints Minouche Shafik as chief economic adviser in reshuffle

Highlights:

  • Minouche Shafik named chief economic adviser to Keir Starmer.
  • Darren Jones moves into Downing Street role; James Murray replaces him.
  • Wider reshuffle includes changes in Starmer’s private office and communications.
  • Appointment comes ahead of a budget expected to include further tax rises.

Prime minister Keir Starmer has named Minouche Shafik, a former deputy governor of the Bank of England, as his chief economic adviser. The appointment comes as he looks to strengthen his team ahead of what is expected to be a difficult end to the year.

Keep ReadingShow less
modi putin

Before their formal meeting, Putin offered Modi a ride in his Aurus limousine.

X/@narendramodi

Six key takeaways from the SCO summit

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi met Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China.

Modi pressed for ending the Ukraine conflict at the earliest, reaffirmed India’s long-standing ties with Russia, and discussed trade and border issues with Xi.

Keep ReadingShow less
Afghanistan earthquake

Afghan volunteers and Taliban security personnel carry an earthquake victim evacuated by a military helicopter from the Nurgal district of Kunar province onn September 1, 2025.

Getty Images

Afghanistan earthquake kills more than 800, thousands injured

A MAJOR rescue operation was underway in Afghanistan on Monday after a powerful earthquake and several aftershocks destroyed homes in a remote mountainous region, killing more than 800 people, according to Taliban authorities.

The quake struck just before midnight and was felt as far as Kabul and in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi ,Xi & Putin

Narendra Modi talks with Vladimir Putin and Xi jinping ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Centre in Tianjin on September 1, 2025.

Getty Images

SCO declaration slams Pahalgam attack, calls for united action on terror

Highlights:

  • SCO condemns terror attack in Pahalgam and echoes India’s stance on “double standards”.
  • Leaders call for justice for perpetrators of attacks in Pahalgam and Balochistan.
  • Declaration criticises Israeli military strikes in Gaza causing civilian casualties.
  • SCO stresses UN’s central role in global counter-terrorism strategy.

THE SHANGHAI Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Monday condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam and agreed with India’s position that “double standards” in tackling terrorism are not acceptable.

Keep ReadingShow less
Police arrest five after anti-asylum protesters target Heathrow hotel

Anti-migrant protesters demonstrate outside the Cladhan Hotel on August 30, 2025 in Falkirk, Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Police arrest five after anti-asylum protesters target Heathrow hotel

BRITISH police said they arrested five people on Saturday (30) after masked men tried to force their way into a hotel used by asylum-seekers, a day after the government won a court ruling on the use of another hotel to house migrants.

Two groups of anti-asylum protesters marched to the Crowne Plaza Hotel near Heathrow Airport before some demonstrators tried to break in, London's Metropolitan Police force said.

Keep ReadingShow less