At least 16 people were killed and dozens injured in a powerful explosion in Bangladesh's capital of Dhaka, according to officials.

Iran PressAsia: At least 16 people were killed and dozens of others were injured after a blast rocked an office building in the commercial district of Bangladesh's capital Dhaka on Tuesday.

The cause of the blast remained unclear but fatal building fires and explosions are common in Bangladesh, where safety enforcement is often lax.

The blast shook the fourth and fifth floors of a seven-story building in Gulistan, a major hub for wholesale goods in Dhaka. Several floors of the building and the side walls were destroyed in the explosion, which sent rubble and splinters flying into crowded streets.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Joint Commissioner (Operations), Biplab Kumar Sarkar, told in response to a question that without a complete investigation, it cannot be ascertained the exact cause of the explosion. 219