DHAKA: At least 79 students of Jamia Ashrafia Madrasa in Bangladesh’s Narayanganj district fell ill after inhaling smoke from a fire that broke out in the institution’s library early Tuesday.
The fire started around 1.45 am in the library and adjoining office rooms on the second floor of the five-storey building in the Shantidhara area of Fatullah, while most of the students were asleep.
The smoke spread rapidly through the building, leaving several students with breathing difficulties as they tried to escape. Of the 79 affected students taken to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka, 63 were admitted or kept under emergency observation, while 16 were discharged after receiving initial treatment.
Four students are in critical condition and have been admitted to the intensive care unit. One of them is receiving ventilator support, according to hospital officials. The students are aged between 14 and 22, media reports said.
Abdullah Al Arefin, deputy assistant director of Narayanganj Fire Service and Civil Defence, said around 1,300 students were enrolled at the madrasa, most of them residential. Many were asleep when the fire broke out and suffered from smoke inhalation.
Five fire service units were deployed to contain the blaze, which was brought under control around 3.45 am. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be established, though officials suspect an electrical short circuit.
(With inputs from PTI and media agencies)