Fire in Bangladesh capital leaves thousands homeless

Hundreds of homes have been destroyed in a fire in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.

The blaze ripped through the Chalantika slum on Friday night. Although no deaths have so far been reported, there were a number of injuries.

Estimates on the number of people left homeless varied widely with officials saying 3,000 while some reports said the figure was nearer 50,000.

After the flames in subsided, people scoured what was left of their former homes looking for anything of potential use.

It took around 125 firefighters several hours to put out the blaze.

Many potential victims were saved since they were away celebrating the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.

The government says help will be provided for the many people who have been left with no shelter and few belongings.

The Bangladeshi capital is home to numerous sprawling slums. In February another fire historic district killed around 80 people