At least 80 left dead in Bangladesh's Dhaka fire

Forensic doctors at state-run Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) said they so far counted 68 bodies, but the toll could be higher as the counting process was still underway simultaneously with autopsy.

“We are yet to open all the body-bags (containing copses) and one bag could contain more than one body as it was found so far,” said head of the DMCH’s forensic department Dr Sohel Mahmud.

Mahmud, however, feared the toll to rise as many wounded were being treated at the facility with critical burn injuries.

The rescue campaign was wrapped up as fire fighters after nearly 14 hours of efforts doused the blaze and retrieved the bodies. They also rescued scores from the scene as many of the victims were trapped inside the buildings.

The fire broke out in a mixed-use building at 2340 (local time) on Wednesday, when many residents were sleeping.

It started at a chemical warehouse on the ground floor and then raced through three other buildings, officials say. Many people were trapped, unable to escape the flames.

Witnesses and police said gas explosions helped fuel the blaze.

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina condoled the loss of lives in the tragedy.

The ruling Awami League tweeted: "HPM #SheikhHasina shocked at the loss of lives in Old Dhaka fire. She asked authorities for proper treatment of the injured and give necessary support to families of the deceased. She conveyed sympathy to the bereaved families and prayed for eternal peace of the departed souls."

Indian government condoles:

Indian government condoled the loss of lives in the incident.

"India is saddened by the loss of lives as a result of tragic fire in Dhaka on February 20. We offer our deepest condolences to relatives of those affected by the accident. As a close neighbour & partner, we stand by the people & the Government of Bangladesh in this hour of grief," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.