52 Dead in Bangladesh Factory Fire as Workers Locked Inside

Burnt material is seen inside a food and beverage factory in Rupganj, outside Dhaka, Bangladesh, on July 9, 2021. Mahmud Hossain Opu/AP Photo

DHAKA, Bangladesh—A fire engulfed a food and beverage factory outside Bangladesh’s capital, killing at least 52 people, many of whom were trapped inside by an illegally locked door, fire officials said Friday.

The blaze began Thursday night at the five-story Hashem Foods Ltd. factory in Rupganj, just outside Dhaka, sending huge clouds of black smoke billowing into the sky. Police initially gave a toll of three dead, but then discovered piles of bodies on Friday afternoon after the fire was extinguished.