A massive fire in Bangladesh that raged through a six-story building home to restaurants where many families with children were dining has killed at least 46 people and injured dozens, the health minister said on Friday.
Fire authorities said a gas leak or a stove could have caused Thursday's blaze in the capital, which spread quickly after breaking out in a biryani restaurant, and was only brought under control following two hours of effort by 13 units of firefighters.
One survivor, Mohammad Altaf, recounted his narrow escape from the blaze that killed two colleagues.
"I went to the kitchen, broke a window and jumped to save myself," he told reporters, adding that a cashier and server who urged people to leave during the first moments had died later.
Firefighters used cranes to rescue people from the charred building, said fire officials, who were still working to clear debris and douse any remaining embers.
The main opposition party blamed the government for the fire.
"Accidents and disasters keep happening as there is no rule of law," Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said in a statement.
"The government is not accountable to the people and that's why anarchy prevails, many accidents occur and people lose their lives."
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