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A devastating fire at a shop in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province has left six Bangladeshi nationals dead, triggering grief among expatriate communities.
The incident occurred around 3:00am on Monday in the Samo area, about 150 kilometres from Queenstown (now Komani). All the victims were reportedly from Narayanganj district in Bangladesh.
According to initial reports, seven Bangladeshis were sleeping in a residential room inside the shop when the fire suddenly broke out during the night. Six of them died on the spot, while another sustained critical injuries and was rushed to Queenstown Hospital, where he is currently undergoing treatment.
The identities of four victims have been confirmed 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 said the victims hailed from the Kurugeshwar area under Kutubpur Union of Fatullah in Narayanganj.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, and local police have launched an investigation into the incident.
The tragic incident has cast a pall of mourning among the Bangladeshi diaspora in South Africa, with various expatriate organisations expressing condolences and praying for the departed souls.
Fatal fires involving Bangladeshi nationals have occurred in South Africa in the past. On October 20, 2018, four Bangladeshis, including three members of the same family from Feni’s Daganbhuiyan upazila, were killed in a shop fire in Brits, North West province. More recently, on October 30, 2024, two more Bangladeshis died in a fire at a commercial complex in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.
