Elderly man dies in Chattogram slum fire, many homes lost

An elderly man has died and several mud houses burnt after a fire broke out at a slum near the Chattogram Export Processing Zone.

The blaze broke out at 11 am on Wednesday in the Dhumpara area near Kalshi Dighi, according to Md Farooq Hossain Sikder, assistant director of the Department of Fire Service and Civil Defence in Chattogram.

“An elderly man known as Abdul Karim died in the fire. Locals told me that he was a hundred years old and had hearing and visual impairments," Farooq said.

"We have recovered his body."

As many as 13 units from three fire service stations worked for 1.5 hours to bring the fire under control.

Farooq said mostly low-income people lived in the area and a lot of mud houses were burnt down in the flames.

Authorities have yet to determine exactly how many homes were lost to the fire.