5 Killed in Fire at Bangladesh

" 5 killed in fire at Bangladesh coronavirus treatment tent |

DHAKA,Bangladesh -- Fire swept through a through a unit of a hospital in an upscale area of the Bangladeshi capital to treat people infected with the coronavirus, killing five people, an official said Wednesday.

The fire started at about 10 p.m. at the United Hospital Ltd. in Dhaka's Gulshan area, where many diplomatic missions and corporate offices are located, said Quamrul , an official with the city's Fire Service and Civil Defense agency.

Firefighters recovered the 5 bodies of four men and one woman after the blaze was controlled, Quamrul said.

The cause was under investigation, but the country’s leading Bengali-language Prothom Alo newspaper said an air-conditioning system exploded.

Bangladesh on Wednesday had 38,292 coronavirus cases including 544 deaths.

SM Kamruzzama, the police station-in-charge of the Gulshan area, said the fire broke out at the corona isolation unit of the hospital on the ground floor.

While the exact cause of the incident was not known, media reports said an explosion of the air conditioning system caused the blaze that quickly spread and killed the five.

It initially appeared to be COVID-19 patients but fire officials said they were yet to ascertain the victims’ identity.

Hospital officials were not immediately available for comments.