Bangladesh fire: Blaze kills dozens in Dhaka historic district

A fast-moving fire has swept through a historic district of Bangladesh's capital Dhaka, killing at least 60.

The blaze broke out Wednesday evening in a multi-storey residential building with the ground floor reportedly used to store flammable chemicals.

According to local media, the fire quickly spread to nearby buildings.

Authorities have told the BBC on Thursday morning that the death toll stood at 60 but that the fire had been brought under control.

The fire might have originated from a gas cylinder before quickly spreading through the building where chemicals were stored, the country's fire service chief Ali Ahmed told AFP.

The blaze raced through four adjoining buildings, he said.

There was a traffic jam when the fire broke out. It spread so quickly that people could not escape."

Image copyrightReutersImage caption Fire fighters managed to get the blaze under control

According to the Dhaka Tribune the building housed a plastics warehouse full of flammable material.

The centuries-old Chawkbazar area of Dhaka characteristically has very narrow streets and residential buildings only inches apart.

Victims also included people outside the buildings, some guests at a restaurant and members of a bridal party, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ibrahim Khan told AFP.

Many of the victims were trapped in the buildings, according to reports, unable to escape the flames.

Bangladesh has a persistent problem with building safety regulations not being followed.

In 2013, more than 1,100 people died and thousands more were injured when a building housing garment factories called Rana Plaza in Dhaka collapsed.