A six-year-old city corporation initiative to build a 10-storey shopping mall at Bangabazar never saw the light of day because of disagreements between the shop owners and the corporation.

Says Mohammad Moinuddin, Tk 3 lakh worth of goods of whom were stolen when he was saving others

The actress, in support of Bindyanondo Foundation, got involved in the initiative. Many artistes from the showbiz industry showed their concern regarding this matter.

Traders are now relocating their goods from Annexco Tower, a building that was affected by the fire that burnt the Bangabazar Shopping Complex to the ground yesterday. .They were salvaging the remaining goods, mostly clothes, from the seven-storey building located next to the complex. .

Says Abdul Latif Biplob, who lost Tk 2 crore investment, Tk 3 crore worth products in Bangabazar fire

The 999 emergency service, which was suspended following the massive fire at Bangabazar, has resumed after nine hours..Anwar Sattar, inspector (media) of 999, told The Daily Star that the service resumed around 7:15pm..Around 10:15am, the authorities were forced to suspend the servic

Says Mohammad Rafiqul Islam Sohag, who lost everything of his three shops because of the fire

It is important to remember that as with most markets in Dhaka – and other major cities – the Bangabazar Shopping Complex barely had any proper fire safety measures in place.

The damage has been extensive, leaving only scraps to be salvaged. Having struck such a tragedy right before Eid-ul-Fitr, which has left wholesalers destitute, wondering what tomorrow will bring.

A massive fire ripped through the capital's popular clothing market Bangabazar Shopping Complex this morning.

Four years ago the Department of Fire Service and Civil Defence declared the Bangabazar Shopping Complex a fire risk.

The crowd of onlookers was the biggest hindrance to firefighting efforts and caused a delay in bringing the devastating fire at the Bangabazar Shopping Complex under control, said the fire service director general

"I am very disappointed. We work for the people. We sacrifice our lives for the people… but they attacked us"

The devastating fire at the Bangabazar Shopping Complex may have burnt more than Tk 1,000 crore worth of investment into ashes, said the president of the Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity, the apex trade body of shop owners.

"Starting with one shop, we expanded to five shops over the past 10 years. We had a business worth Tk 5 crore. Now we have nothing,"

The massive fire at the Bangabazar Shopping Complex disrupted operations of national emergency service 999, forcing authorities to temporarily suspend the service.

The fire that has been raging for more almost six hours at the capital's Bangabazar originated in a shop at Adarsha Market, a market under the Bangabazar Shopping Complex, witnesses said.

Smoke was seen coming out of the nearby Annexco Tower more than four hours after the fire at Bangabazar Shopping Complex was brought under control

Two of the four firefighters -- Rabiul Islam and Atikur Rahman -- were rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said Rashed-Bin-Khaled, duty officer of the fire service

"Fire has spread to at least six markets"