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Dhaka slum fire leaves one dead, thousands homeless

Xinhua, January 11, 2015 Adjust font size:

A fire swept thorough a slum in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka on Sunday, killing a minor girl and leaving thousands of people homeless.

Hours after firefighters brought the blaze under control, the charred body of the four-year-old girl Fatema was recovered from the gutted remains of Battala slum, said a firefighter.

The firefighter who did not like to be named said the cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained.

According to the firefighter, at least 400 homes made of scrap sheet iron, plastic and cardboard were destroyed fully or partially in the devastating fire.

Fires are almost common in Bangladeshi slums where thousands of people are crammed in filthy shacks along polluted rail and waterways. Endi