56 killed in Bangladesh fire

DHAKA: At least 56 people were reportedly killed after a massive fire broke out in an apartment building  in an old part of the Bangladeshi capital.

According to rescue official, 45 bodies had been recovered from the building which also used as a chemical warehouse, adding that  the number of bodies may increase.

A large number of people were trapped in the buildings, unable to escape onto narrow streets clogged with traffic, as the highly-combustible stores of chemicals, body sprays and plastic granules erupted in flames.

Fire might have originated from a gas cylinder. The blaze was quickly spreading through the building where highly flammable chemicals were stored.