Reports say, a fast-moving fire that swept through a historic district of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, has killed at least seventy-eight people.

According to the report, the blaze broke out at night in a residential building that had flammable material stored on the ground floor.

Members of a bridal party are thought to be among the victims. The fire which broke out in a mixed-use building is yet to ascertain its source.

The centuries-old Chawkbazar district has narrow streets and buildings very close to each other.

Large building fires are relatively common in densely populated Bangladesh, owing to lax safety regulations and poor conditions.

Hundreds of people have been killed in recent years, with the latest last Sunday in a slum in the coastal city of Chittagong killing at least nine people.