Building Collapse: Two killed in Old Dhaka
Firefighters have located the bodies of two men in the rubble of a partially collapsed two-storey building in the capital’s Patuatuli area last night.
Officials and locals said they think the victims are roadside fruit vendor Jayed Ali Bepari, 60, and his son Babla Bepari, 16, who lived in the century-old building.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. They added that it was unlikely that anyone else was trapped in the building.
Jayed’s brother-in-law Liton Bepari told The Daily Star that family members had not been able to reach Jayed or Babla over the phone since yesterday morning.
Around 12:30pm, Liton went to Jayed’s rented home and found out that the part of the building where they lived had collapsed.
Firefighters were informed soon afterwards.
After trying to rescue the “missing people” by removing the debris for hours, firefighters said they could see two motionless bodies under tonnes of rubble near midnight.
Several residents of the area said they heard a thudding noise around 2:00am yesterday. The building might have collapsed at the time, they added.
Seven units of firefighters have been working at the building, said Debashis Bardhan, deputy director of Fire Service and Civil Defence in Dhaka.
Jayed and his son, who are from Madaripur, had been living in the building for the last eight years, Liton said.
Sahidur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station, also said it appeared that only Jayed and his son lived in the century-old building.
Liton said Jayed paid a monthly rent of Tk 3,000 to a local influential person.
Hazrat Ali, caretaker of market in the area, said Jayed and his son went to their residence after selling fruit until 12:30am.
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