Raging fire sweeps Bangladeshi slum, dozens of shanties gutted

A devastating fire raged through a slum in Bangladeshi capital, destroying scores of homes Monday afternoon.

Fire tenders were taking part in the efforts to douse the fire, further outbreak of which has been contained, said a fireman.

He said the devastating fire destroyed scores of shanties, but there was no loss of life.

There were thousands of people living in the slum in Dhaka's downtown Madhya Badda, but fortunately most of them were out for Eid-ul-Fitr, a large festival that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which was celebrated here on Saturday.

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

Every year fires in Dhaka slums, most common incidents, leave thousands of people homeless. In 2008, a big fire, which engulfed some 2,000 houses in a slum area in western Dhaka, left more than 10,000 people homeless.