At least 38 of the 44 people who died in last night`s Bailey Road fire have been identified.
Twenty-three bodies have been handed over to their respective family members from Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn & Plastic Surgery till 8:00am today, Mostafa Abdullah Al Noor, (Nezarat) Deputy Collector (NDC) in Dhaka, told the media.
Five of the six unidentified bodies have not been claimed by anyone, and one is severely burned and would require a DNA test for identification, he said.
"We have initiated the dead body handover process since 2:00am from DMCH and Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn & Plastic Surgery, and till 8:00am, we have already handed over 23 bodies to family members," he added.
At least 44 people, including 26 women and three children died and 22 were critically injured in the fire that broke out at the seven-storey Green Cozy Cottage Shopping Mall on Bailey Road in the capital last night.
About 75 people were rescued from the building, 42 of them were unconscious.
After two hours of rigorous effort, firefighters managed to put out the fire, according to a statement made earlier by Brig Gen Main Uddin, director general of Fire Service and Civil Defense. Among the shops and eateries in the Green Cozy Cottage Shopping Mall are Kacchi Bhai, Gadget & Gear, Samsung showroom, Illiyeen, Khana`s, and Pizza Inn.
