Six Bangladeshi nationals were killed and another critically injured after a fire broke out at a shop in the Samo area near Komani in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province early Tuesday.
The incident occurred at around 3:00 am (local time) on Tuesday, according to members of the local Bangladeshi community.
Community sources said seven Bangladeshi nationals were asleep in a residential room inside the shop when a fire suddenly engulfed the building in the dead of night. Six of them were burned to ashes at the scene, while rescue workers recovered the seventh victim with severe burn injuries and rushed him to Queenstown Hospital. He remains in critical condition.
The identities of four of the six deceased have been confirmed as Md Faisal, 25; Md Fahim, 28; Shamim Hasan, 30; and Mohammad Apon, 24. The identities of the remaining two victims have yet to be confirmed.
According to their colleagues, all six victims were residents of Kurugeshwar area under Kutubpur Union in Fatullah upazila of Narayanganj district.
The exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Local police have launched an investigation into the incident.
The deaths have sparked grief among the Bangladeshi community in South Africa. Different social and political organisations of the Bangladeshi expatriates extended condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the departed souls.
The latest tragedy is not an isolated incident. In October 2018, four Bangladeshis from Daganbhuiyan in Feni were killed in a shop fire in Brits, North West Province. In October 2024, two more Bangladeshis lost their lives in a fire at a commercial complex in KwaZulu-Natal Province.