6 Bangladeshis killed in South Africa shop fire

Six Bangladeshi nationals lost their lives and another sustained critical injuries when a fire tore through a shop in South Africa's Eastern Cape province in the early hours of Monday, plunging the expatriate community into mourning.

The blaze broke out around 3:00am in the Samo area, located roughly 150 kilometres from Queenstown (Komani). All of the victims were reportedly from Narayanganj district.

Initial reports indicate that seven Bangladeshis were asleep in a room inside the shop when the fire suddenly erupted. Six perished at the scene, while the sole survivor, who suffered severe burns and injuries, was rushed to Queenstown Hospital for emergency care.

The deceased have been identified as Md Faisal (25), Md Fahim (28), Shamim Hasan (30) and Mohammad Apon (24). The identities of the remaining two victims are yet to be confirmed.

Local sources confirmed that all the victims hailed from the Kurugeshwar area of Kutubpur Union in Fatullah, Narayanganj.

Authorities are yet to determine the cause of the fire, and South African police have launched a full investigation into the incident.

The tragedy has sent shockwaves through the Bangladeshi community in South Africa, with expatriate organisations expressing deep condolences and offering prayers for the departed souls.

This is not the first such tragedy. On October 20, 2018, four Bangladeshis — including three members of the same family from Daganbhuiyan in Feni — were killed in a shop fire in Brits, North West province.

More recently, on October 30, 2024, two Bangladeshis lost their lives in a fire at a commercial complex in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.