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Khawaja tower fire: Death toll rises to 3

Fire doused after over 12hrs
UNB . Dhaka
27 Oct 2023 17:04:12 | Update: 27 Oct 2023 17:36:55
Khawaja tower fire: Death toll rises to 3
— BSS Photo

The death toll from a fire that broke out at 14-storey Khawaja Tower in the capital's Mohakhali area rose to three as one more patient died earlier on Friday, police said.

The latest fatality from Thursday's blaze was identified as Aklima Rahman, daughter of Mokhlesur Rahman of Cumilla’s Debidwar.

Aklima was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where duty doctors pronounced her dead at around 1:15am on Friday, said Inspector Bachchu Mia, in charge of DMCH police outpost.

Meanwhile, the fire service has managed to completely douse the flames after more than 12 hours since the fire broke out on the 13th floor of the building. 

“The fire was completely doused at 8:45am on Friday,” Md Shahjahan Shikdar, deputy assistant director (media cell) of Fire Service and Civil Defence told UNB.

Earlier, two people were killed in the same fire that broke out at the 14-storey building at the heart of the capital.

Rafiqul Huq, 63, was pronounced dead after being brought to Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Thursday evening. Meanwhile, Hasna Hena, 27, fell to her death while trying to escape the fire.

The fire has also caused damage to a data centre located in the building and The International Internet Gateway (IIG) causing significant disruption to internet connectivity all over the country.

“It will take at least a week to restore internet speed to normal due to the amount of damage caused by the Khawaja Tower fire incident. And if the devices burn, it may take longer,” Emdadul Haque, President of Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) told UNB.

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