A devastating fire destroys a crowded slum and leaves thousands homeless in Bangladesh capital
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A devastating fire in a crowded slum in the heart of Bangladesh’s capital has destroyed 1,500 shanties and left thousands homeless, officials said Wednesday.
No casualties were reported.
The fire, which started in the huge Korail slum in Dhaka on Tuesday evening, was extinguished after 16 hours on Wednesday, said Rashed Bin Khalid, duty officer of the Fire Service and Civil Defense Department.
Fire chief Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury said about 1,500 shacks were burned or damaged in the fire and thousands of people were left homeless.
According to official data, about 60,000 families, most of them climate refugees, live in the shantytown, which covers more than 160 acres (65 hectares). The slum straddles Dhaka’s upscale Gulshan and Banani neighborhoods and is surrounded by high-rise apartment and office buildings.
While the flames surrounded the houses throughout the night, dense smoke covered the area.
Residents who lost their homes on Wednesday desperately tried to collect their valuables as they searched through the rubble.
Fire crews said they had difficulty reaching the area due to the narrow side streets.
Dhaka, a city of 10.2 million people by 2024, has hundreds of slums where people from rural Bangladesh migrated due to poverty and exploitation. Climate-induced disasters are also pushing them to the outskirts of the city; Here they make ends meet with daily tasks such as driving rickshaws and working as maids and cleaners.
