4 Bangladeshis killed in South Africa fire

Four Bangladesh nationals, including three members of a family, were killed after a fire broke out at a shop in Brits City area of North West province in South Africa early Saturday, reports UNB.

The deceased are two siblings -- Anwar Hossain and Mosharaf Hossain -- of Char Majlispur in Sonagazi upazila, their maternal uncle Mominul Haque of Jagatpur village in Daganbhuiyan upazila of Feni and Mohammad Ibrahim of Jamalpur.

Three of the deceased were workers of the shop and another came to visit them.

Several Bangladesh nationals, who witnessed the incident, said the fire broke out at the shop of Nurul Alam of Rajshahi around 2:00am (South Africa time) while the victims were sleeping inside the shop.

They tried to come out of the shop, but failed and burned to death, said the witnesses.

Members of local fire service station doused the flame and recovered the charred bodies.

The family members, however, alleged that terrorists locked the shop from outside and set fire to it.

Daganbhuiyan upazila nirbahi officer Md Saiful Islam Bhuiyan said that Feni district administration will take necessary steps to bring the bodies back home as soon as possible.