00:00 Cell phone video captured the terrifying moments as a fire quickly spread from a restaurant
00:05 on the first floor of a six-story shopping mall in Dhaka late Thursday.
00:10 With dozens of people trapped on the upper floors, firefighters worked frantically to
00:15 put out the flames and to rescue people using cranes.
00:21 Confusion and panic spread below as massive crowds gathered in the streets and as family
00:25 members of those trapped feared the worst.
00:29 The fire happened just about 10 to 15 minutes after my sister and her daughter entered the
00:34 building.
00:35 My sister called her husband and said the building was on fire, that they were trapped
00:40 and that they needed help.
00:42 Her husband and the rest of us rushed here to the scene and tried to contact them many
00:46 times.
00:47 In the end, they didn't pick up their phones.
00:51 In addition to those who died at the scene, dozens were badly injured and rushed to the
00:55 hospital where many were reported in critical condition or succumbed to their injuries.
01:01 Their loved ones gathered outside the hospital overwhelmed by shock and grief.
01:07 My cousin, his five-member family including his wife, his two daughters and his son are
01:14 all dead.
01:18 As investigators combed the site of the fire Friday, authorities said a gas leaker stove
01:23 may have sparked the blaze.
01:25 Fire officials also cited dangerous conditions inside the building including a lack of ventilation
01:31 and emergency exits and just a single staircase for people to escape.
01:36 The government has set up a five-member panel to investigate the fire.
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