Workers jump to their deaths in Dhaka office block fire

DHAKA AFP March28, 2019- Desperate workers leaped to their deaths as a huge fire tore through a Dhaka office block Thursday, killing at least 19 people and trapping others in the latest major inferno to hit the Bangladesh capital.   

Rescue workers warned the death toll could rise sharply as fire fighters recovered charred bodies from the complex where an unknown number of office workers were engulfed by intense smoke and flames.   

At least six people died after jumping from the 22-floor building, officials said.   

Dhaka police chief Asaduzzaman Mia told reporters at least 73 people were injured and being treated in hospitals across Dhaka. 

 
People were seen screaming for help as hundreds of panicked onlookers crowded the streets of the upmarket Banani commercial district.   

The inferno erupted barely a month after at least 70 people were killed in Dhaka apartment buildings where illegally stored chemicals exploded.