17 bodies have been recovered following a factory fire in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka. The fire broke out at the Hashem Food and Beverage Ltd, a factory in Rupganj on Thursday night.

The fire was extinguished on Friday and the search and rescue operation has now begun. Although the exact number of casualties is yet to be confirmed, officials have raised concerns that the number of deaths could be as high as 49, with firefighters now struggling to recover further bodies.

Early reports have stated that the building may have been locked from the inside when the blaze started, forcing some workers to escape by jumping from windows.

Fire service spokesman Debashish Bardhan said: “We will conduct a search and rescue operation inside. Then we can confirm any further casualties, if any,”

The head of the local fire department has also said that they believe that the blaze started due to stockpiling of highly flammable chemicals and plastics.