Staff Reporter

A fire occurring in Anowara, Chittagong, Tuesday night left four brothers and their sister dead, police said.

Anowara police chief Abdul Kader said the fire started around 11.00pm from a burning mosquito coil at fishmonger Ilias Ali's shanty near the South Gohira embankment in Raipur.

The dead were identified as Ilias's daughter Rozina, 14, and four sons Akbar, 11, Azgar, 8, Nezam, 5, and Karim, 3. Quoting Ilias's neighbours, police chief Abdul Kader told bdnews24.com that Ilias and his wife Rohima Khatun happened to visit Rohima's parents' house in a neighbouring area Tuesday night at 10.00pm, leaving their older children Rozina and Akbar to their studies and the three younger ones asleep after dinner.

"The mosquito net hanging over the sleeping children caught fire from the mosquito coil burning next to it and the blaze spread all too rapidly," Kader said.

The five children were unable to escape as they were surrounded by the flames, the police chief said. "The fire spread to another shanty contiguous to Ilias's place, but it was quickly doused."

On returning home, Ilias and his wife fell senseless on finding that all their children had perished in the fire, neighbours said. The local police chief and UP chairman visited the family on hearing of the disaster.

The deaths shocked and saddened the whole neighbourhood, said Nurul Islam, a local reporter. Islam said Ilias, originally from Banshkhali, had built his home near the South Gohira embankment 19 years ago and raised his family there.

Ilias had reportedly visited his in-laws to borrow cash to buy fish the following morning from the wholesale market.

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