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Deadly Blaze Destroys Buildings in Bangladeshi Capital

   VOA News 04 June 2010
   Relatives  mourn the death of a victim of a fire in Dhaka, Bangladesh,
   04 Jun 2010

Photo: AP

   Relatives  mourn the death of a victim of a fire in Dhaka, Bangladesh,
   04 Jun 2010

   Bangladeshi medical officials are struggling to treat the victims of a
   fire that has killed at least 114 people in the capital, Dhaka.
   According  to  local news reports, the state-run Dhaka Medical College
   has  admitted  at  least 100 people with burn injuries, since the huge
   fire  destroyed  several  buildings  in  Dhaka's densely-populated old
   section.
   Bangladeshi  officials  said  the blaze started Thursday night when an
   electrical  transformer  exploded.   Witnesses  say  chemicals inside
   shops worsened the fire as it spread through apartment buildings.
   Narrow  roads  in  the  centuries-old  Kayettuli neighborhood hampered
   rescue  efforts,  leaving  many  residents  trapped  inside the area's
   tightly-packed buildings.
   The  Bangladeshi  government  has  declared Saturday a national day of
   mourning.  The  fire  was  the  second  deadly  accident in Dhaka this
   week.  On Tuesday, a building collapsed, killing at least 25 people.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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