Fire in South Africa's Queenstown kills six Bangladeshis, injures one

Bangladesh high commissioner says it is unclear if the fire was accidental

A fire in eastern South Africa's Queenstown has left six Bangladeshis dead and one critically injured.

Bangladesh's High Commissioner to Pretoria Shah Ahmed Shafi shared the information on Tuesday, citing the local Bangladeshi community in Queenstown.

He told bdnews24.com that the fire broke out at around 3am local time at a shop where seven people were asleep.

“Six died in the blaze, while another suffered serious injuries and was admitted to hospital.”

"We have contacted the local law-enforcing authorities after learning of the incident. It is still not clear whether it was an accident or an act of sabotage," the high commissioner said.

The area where the fire occurred is about 1,000km from Pretoria, he added.

Shafi has set off for the scene to assess the situation.

Four of the victims were from Alirtek Union in Narayanganj Sadar, while one was from neighbouring Baktabali Union and another from Rikabibazar in Munshiganj.

"They were all related to one another. We are deeply saddened by the news," Alirtek Union Council member Rowshan Ali told bdnews24.com.