Bangladesh: Fire in hotel complex in Cox's Bazar, at least ten dead

At least ten tourists have died in a fire at a hotel complex in Bangladesh. A five-year-old boy was among the dead, said a fire department spokesman. Not all of the dead have been identified so far. Six people were taken to hospital with injuries.

The fire broke out on Saturday morning at a beach resort in the southeastern district of Cox's Bazar, a fire service official said. The extinguishing work took almost two hours. The fire destroyed the entire facility, it was said.

Authorities: Inadequate fire safety precautions

The cause of the fire was initially unknown. According to the responsible authority for fire and civil defense, the hotel's fire protection measures were inadequate. In addition, the facility was built without a building permit. An investigation has been initiated.

Cox's Bazar district is a popular tourist destination due to its long sandy beach on the Bay of Bengal and is visited by more than three million people annually. According to the Bangladesh Statistical Office, these are predominantly domestic tourists. The district also has many overcrowded refugee camps with Rohingya from Myanmar. The children's rights organization Save the Children warned at the end of August that their supply situation threatens to deteriorate further by the end of the year. More than a third of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are at risk of acute hunger.