‘I jumped off the roof to survive’

"Where's the emergency exit? where's the emergency exit?" people were shouting all around.

But to their horror, they found there wasn't any functional emergency exit through which they can save their life from the inferno that took place on Thursday.

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Death came draped in smoke

Md Iqbal, a waiter at Mejbani Khana of the building, was recounting how a routine day at work turned into a nightmare.

Survivors yesterday alleged that there was no emergency exit in the seven-storey commercial building on Bailey Road that caught fire on Thursday.

Taking treatment in hospitals, they yesterday described how people resorted to extreme measures to save their lives amid the tragedy.

Lying on a bed in Dhaka Medical College Hospital's Ward 102, Iqbal described his ordeal to The Daily Star.

"I was working as usual, like other days. Suddenly, I saw smoke all around. It was difficult to even breathe," he said.

"There were many people running towards the rooftop to save their lives, and I did the same. It was quite a struggle, but I somehow made it to the rooftop, from where the firefighters eventually rescued me," he told The Daily Star.

Iqbal, who considers himself fortunate to be alive, said there was no way to escape the inferno as there were no emergency exits in the building.

"Since the fire originated from the ground floor, there was no option of escaping [the building] using the stairs," he added.

Mujahidul Islam Jubayer, who works as a chef at Khana's, which is located on the second floor of the building, echoed the same.

"While I was cooking, our manager alerted us about a fire downstairs and instructed us to evacuate to the roof. On the rooftop, we saw many people jumping off to escape the flames and smoke. I followed suit, and after that, I have no idea what happened to me."

He is now undergoing treatment at the DMCH.

At least 46 people died and 12 were injured in the fire.