Bangladesh School Fire Sends Dozens of Students to Hospital

(MENAFN) At least 63 students were taken to hospital after a fire broke out early Tuesday at an Islamic religious school in the Narayanganj district of central Bangladesh.

The fire started on the second floor of a five-story building in Narayanganj, located around 16 kilometers (10 miles) southeast of the capital, Dhaka, according to Abdullah Al Arefin, deputy assistant director of the Narayanganj Fire Service and Civil Defence.

Four firefighting teams responded to the incident and managed to bring the flames under control. Most students escaped without sustaining burns, although several experienced breathing difficulties after inhaling smoke.

The fire reportedly began in the library and office areas of Jamiatul Ashrafia Madrasa, an institution attended by approximately 1,300 students, most of whom live on campus.

All 63 students affected by the incident were transported to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka for medical treatment.

Four students were placed in the intensive care unit in critical condition, with one requiring life support, resident surgeon Sultan Mahmud Sikdar said.

According to the doctor, none of the students suffered burn injuries, but all were experiencing respiratory complications believed to have resulted from smoke inhalation.

An initial investigation by the Fire Service suggested that an electrical short circuit may have caused the fire.

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