City-centre inferno kills at least 116 in Bangladesh

At least 116 people were killed by a fire in a densely populated part of the capital, Dhaka. The blaze began when an electrical transformer exploded after a rainstorm on Thursday night.

Flames quickly spread to shops and homes, including a five-storey block of flats where a wedding party was being held on the roof. The blaze engulfed the block, which had metal grilles on its windows and no fire escape.

"There were shops selling chemicals on the ground floor, which were caught by the fire as it spread very quickly," said one fire officer. A day of national mourning will be held today.