Two people died and another was hospitalised after a fire broke out in a multi-storey building in the port city of Chattogram on Thursday, officials said.

The blaze erupted at around 10:00 am on the fourth floor of the 12-storey Orchid Plaza building in the Terrybazar area, according to fire service officials.

Three people suffering from smoke inhalation were rescued from the building and taken to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, where two of them were declared dead, police said.

The deceased were identified as Mohammad Yunus, 52, and Solaiman, 28. Another victim, Md Mamun, 28, is receiving treatment.

‘There were no external burn injuries, but their respiratory tracts were severely damaged,’ hospital director Brigadier General Md Taslim Uddin said.

Four firefighting units brought the blaze under control after nearly an hour, fire officials said, adding that several shops on the fourth floor were gutted.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but officials suspect it may have been triggered by an electrical short circuit. An investigation is under way.