Devastating fire leaves thousands homeless in Dhaka’s Korail shantytown

According to officials, a devastating fire swept through Dhaka’s sprawling Korail shantytown, destroying or causing 1,500 shanties and rendering tin-roofed homes to crumbling ruins.

According to Rashed Bin Khalid, a duty officer at the fire department, the inferno, which erupted on Tuesday evening, took 16 hours to end.

The director of the fire service, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, confirmed that thousands of people were without shelter because approximately 1,500 of the building had burned or been damaged.

This 65-hectare (160-acre) shantytown is home to about 60 000 families, many of whom have been displaced by climate disasters, according to official records. Korail is a gated community in the Gulshan and Banani districts of Dhaka, which are both dotted with contemporary high-rise developments.

As flames raged throughout the night, dense smoke engulfed the area.

Attempting to salvage their belongings on Wednesday, displaced residents desperately searched through the debris.

Due to the area’s constricting pathways, firefighters reported having trouble navigating the fire.