Dhaka: 5 killed, 65 injured in Bangladesh fire

Dhaka: Five persons were killed while 65 others injured after a massive fire engulfed a high-rise building here on Thursday, fire officials said.

"The fire is under control now and a search operation has begun," Efe news quoted fire official Mohammad Russel as saying.

The blaze that razed the 22-storey FR Tower in the city's Banani area housing offices and restaurants started on the seventh floor at around 1 p.m.

Manzur Morshed, a survivor, said it was feared that many people were still trapped inside the building.

"I was in a bathroom on the 17th floor when I got the news of fire... We all rushed to the top floor and jumped off to the next building, which was close by," he said.

Three of the victims died after falling off the building while trying to escape the blaze, said Sazzadur Rahman, an medical official.

A Sri Lankan national is among the injured, police official said.

Such fires are not uncommon in Bangladesh owing to lack of safety regulations and ill-maintained buildings.

At least 70 people were killed and dozens injured in a massive fire in Dhaka's chemical hub Chawkbazar in February.