Dhaka building collapse kills 23

The building fell on a row of shanties

A four-storey building has collapsed in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, killing at least 23 people and injuring others.

The apartment building in Tejgaon fell on some neighbouring tin-roof shanties late on Tuesday, killing several people living in them.

Rescue operations are in progress and at least six people have been taken out of the debris by army and fire workers.

Officials say the death toll could rise as an unknown number of people are still buried in the debris.

Canal construction

Fire official Abdus Salam said the building had been constructed on land which was once a canal and the owner had been adding another floor to it when the collapse occurred.

Officials said it was unclear how many people were inside the building when it collapsed.

It toppled on a row of shanties in which garments and daily wage workers were sleeping, reports said.

Rescuers struggled to conduct the operation because roads leading to the site were too narrow for vehicles to pass.

"We see more bodies in the collapsed shanties. So the death toll is likely to go up," Mr Salam said.

In 2006, at least 15 people dead and 50 injured when a five-storey building collapsed in Dhaka.

And in 2005, more than 60 people died when an illegally-constructed garment factory collapsed near Dhaka.