AP Photos: Historic Bangladesh district razed by deadly fire
Charred buildings and vehicles are all that remain of sections of a centuries-old shopping district in Bangladesh's capital, where a late-night fire raced through narrow alleys packed with residences, shops, restaurants and warehouses and killed dozens of people.
As the flames lit up the night, firefighters frantically doused the buildings in Dhaka's Chawkbazar area with water.
Once morning broke and the blaze was under control, the search for the dead began.
Flames rise fire from a fire in a densely packed shopping area in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019. A devastating fire raced through at least five buildings in an old part of Bangladesh's capital and killed scores of people. (AP PhotoZabed Hasnain Chowdhury)
At least 70 bodies had been recovered by Thursday afternoon and it was feared the death toll would rise as some of those injured in the fire were in critical condition.
Firefighters work to douse flames in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019. A devastating fire raced through at least five buildings in an old part of Bangladesh's capital and killed scores of people. (AP PhotoZabed Hasnain Chowdhury)
Firefighters retrieve a body from the site of a fire that broke out late Wednesday in closely set buildings in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019. A devastating fire raced through at least five buildings in an old part of Bangladesh's capital and killed scores of people. (AP PhotoRehman Asad)
An unidentified Bangladeshi laments following a fire that broke out late Wednesday in closely set buildings in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019. A devastating fire raced through at least five buildings in an old part of Bangladesh's capital and killed scores of people. (AP PhotoRehman Asad)
The wrangled and charred remains of rickshaws lie at the site of a late Wednesday night fire in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019. A devastating fire raced through at least five buildings in an old part of Bangladesh's capital and killed scores of people. (AP PhotoMahmud Hossain Opu )