DHAKA, Bangladesh, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Fire roared through a shantytown in the capital of Bangladesh early Sunday, killing 11 people and destroying at least 500 homes, emergency officials said.
Dhaka fire department spokesman Ataur Rahman told Bangladesh News 24 Hours it took crews more than four hours to put down the fire that began around 3 a.m. on the city's outskirts.
The known dead were six women and five children, eight of whom were found on the ground floor of a 2-story dilapidated building, police said.
At least five people were taken to hospitals with burns and smoke inhalation, the report said.
There were unconfirmed reports the fire started in a garage for rickshaws.
City, district and federal officials said all efforts would be made to help rebuild the burned-out homes, the news website reported.
