10 killed, over 100 injured in fire in Bangladeshi capital

DHAKA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 people were killed and more than 100 others injured in a massive explosion that took place in a commercial building in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Tuesday, officials said.

Bachchu Miah, chief of Dhaka Medical College Hospital's police outpost, told Xinhua that "10 bodies have been brought to the hospital from the explosion site."

Brigadier Gener Md Nazmul Haque, director of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, told journalists that more than 100 people were treated for their injuries in the hospital, with several of them in the intensive care unit.

Officials said at least 11 firefighting units are working at the site.

Because of the explosion, they said two buildings -- one seven-story and the other one five-story -- were damaged at the Siddique Bazar area in old Dhaka.

The incident occurred around 4:50 p.m. local time on Tuesday, the fire service control room said.

The blast occurred at the seven-floor building which housed several stores for sanitary items on the bottom floor.

The explosion also reportedly shattered the glass walls of a bank branch located in the building adjacent to it.

Apart from this, the incident damaged a passenger bus standing on the opposite side of the busy road.

The cause of the explosion could not be known immediately.