UPDATE - Bangladesh fire kills 46, injures 22 others in Dhaka

UPDATES DEATH TOLL; ADDS REMARKS BY HEALTH MINISTER; CHANGES HEADER, DECK; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - At least 46 people were killed and dozens of others injured after a fire caught in a seven-story building in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka on Thursday night, according to the Health Ministry on Friday.

Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen told reporters that 46 people were killed in the incident and 12 people were under treatment in hospitals.

The condition of 10 people remained critical, he added, saying the government would bear the medical expenses of the injured.

Meanwhile, 33 bodies have so far been handed over to their families on Friday, AKM Hedaitul Islam Islam, additional district magistrate of Dhaka Deputy Commissioner’s office, told reporters.

After extinguishing the fire, rescue officials sent the injured to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn & Plastic Surgery.

The building is a popular hub of food restaurants where people mostly visit in the evening.

On the second floor of the building, there is a food shop named "Kachchi Bhai" from where the fire is believed to have originated.

The fire service department has formed a five-member probe body in the incident.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed condolences over the loss of lives in the fire incident.

*Faruk Zorlu in Ankara contributed to this report