The blaze, which broke out about 10.30 p.m. local time Thursday (12.30 p.m. ET), was the worst to sweep through the Bangladeshi capital in almost four decades. Witnesses said flames rose as high as six stories with burning chemicals oozing from buildings "like lava."
Rescue workers scrambled Friday to pull bodies, many charred beyond recognition, from smoldering debris.
"The confirmed death toll from the fire is now 114 and may rise," Muhibul Haque, district commissioner of Dhaka, told Reuters. He said more than 40 people were being treated for burns in hospital, with 12 in critical condition.
'Hell broke loose':
Fueling the flames were chemicals from illegal, home-based factories in the centuries-old Kayettuli neighborhood, one of the most densely populated in Dhaka and in the heart of the city.
"It seemed like hell broke loose," said a wailing woman, looking for her daughter and son in what remained of the area, home to several multi-story blocks and tin-roofed dwellings, some of which were turned into chemical factories despite a law banning their presence in residential areas.
"Burning chemicals from stores within or beside the living quarters spewed on the streets like lava from a volcano. There was hardly any safe place to step out," added one survivor.
Some families lost up to eight members, witnesses said, and many residents were trapped inside the buildings as they rushed to get out.
Death toll uncertain:
A fire brigade official said 91 bodies had been recovered from the area so far and the country's police chief, Nur Mohammad, said it was difficult to give an exact casualty toll until search and rescue operations were finish, likely Friday afternoon.
TV channels put the death toll at between 107 and 150, including a dozen people who died in hospital from injuries sustained in the blaze.
Nearly 150 people, many suffering from serious burns, had been admitted for treatment, the TV channels reported.
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