Dhaka Tribune reported that 52 people were confirmed dead and 50 others were injured.

The fire broke out on the ground floor of Hashem Food and Beverage around 5:00pm yesterday and spread fast, Dhaka Tribune said, citing fire officials.

At least 49 bodies were recovered from the 4th floor of the building, Deputy Director (Operations) of Fire Service and Civil Defense Debashish Vardhan told reporters, according to Daily Star.

It is suspected that the fire erupted from the ground floor of the six-storey building, and spread quickly due to the presence of chemicals and plastic bottles, according to Dhaka Tribune.

Earlier in the day, police issued a list of 38 people who were missing in the fire.

Till 12:00 am last night, 18 fire tenders were pressed into action to douse the flames, the Bangladeshi news organisation reported, adding that at least 20 people were trapped at the roof of the building at the time.

Al Jazeera reported several of those who had run to the roof to protect themselves from the fire were rescued by the firefighters who brought them down with the help of ropes.

Media reported that hundreds of panic-stricken people gathered outside the factory to find updates of their kin as cloud of smoke billowed from the factory.