Over 1,500 homes destroyed, thousands left homeless as Bangladesh slum fire rages for 16 hours
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Over 1,500 homes destroyed, thousands left homeless as Bangladesh slum fire rages for 16 hours")
One of Bangladesh’s largest and most crowded slums, Korail, is home to nearly 80,000 people Photograph: (X/WION)
One of Bangladesh’s largest and most crowded slums, Korail, is home to nearly 80,000 people and sits between the Gulshan and Banani areas. The slum is surrounded by high-rise apartments and office buildings.
A massive fire swept through one of Dhaka’s biggest slums on Tuesday evening (Nov 25), destroying long rows of tin-roofed shanties and leaving thousands of people homeless. Officials said no deaths had been reported as of Wednesday (Nov 26). Residents who lost their homes were desperate to collect their valuables as they searched through the debris. The fire began in the Korail slum shortly after sunset on Tuesday and burned for nearly 16 hours before firefighters could control it, according to fire officer Rashed Bin Khalid.
Lt. Col. Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, a senior fire service official, also said that around 1,500 homes were damaged or completely burned down due to the fire.
One of Bangladesh’s largest and most crowded slums, Korail, is home to nearly 80,000 people and sits between the Gulshan and Banani areas. The slum is surrounded by high-rise apartments and office buildings.
When the blaze broke out, flames and thick smoke filled the sky as residents ran with whatever belongings they could take and save.
Fire Service official Talha Bin Zasim said at least 19 fire engines were sent to control the fire but heavy traffic and the slum’s narrow walkways slowed their work.
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“Heavy traffic slowed our arrival, and once inside, the narrow lanes forced us to leave the engines at a distance,” he said. Firefighters dragged long hoses through the cramped alleys and scrambled to secure enough water, battling for more than five hours before the flames were finally brought under control, said Talha Bin Zasim.
Dhaka, a city of over 10 million people has many slums where rural migrants settle in search of work. Many move to the capital due to poverty or climate disasters and earn a living through low-wage jobs such as rickshaw, cleaning and household work.
