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109 die in fire in Bangladesh

By the CNN Wire Staff
Firefighters pull victims from burned houses Thursday in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Firefighters pull victims from burned houses Thursday in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
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(CNN) -- At least 109 people were killed in a fire in the capital city in Bangladesh, the country's national news agency reported Friday.

The blaze was caused by an explosion of an electric transformer in Dhaka Thursday, fire officials told the news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha.

The blaze then engulfed a plastic factory and four nearby buildings, the agency reported. Flames jumped some 300 feet in the sky as firefighters struggled to control it.

Along with the dead, about 50 people were critically injured.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she was shocked at the tremendous loss of life and pledged to support the families of the victims.