Six people including one Bangladeshi died after an entertainment outlet on the fourth floor in Ipoh of Malaysia caught fire in the early morning yesterday. Perak Fire and Rescue Department acting director Sayani Saidon said they received a distress call at about 5.49am and rushed to the location at Times Square along Jalan Raja Dr Nazrin Shah.

The dead have been identified as two local men – Tai Chee Kin, 37, and Lau Wai Hoong, 36; two Vietnamese girls Ngu Yen Thi Thuy Duong, 21, and Ngu Yen Thi Trang, 19; one Bangladeshi man who is yet to be identified; and another man whose identity is also still unknown. Sayani said the cause of death was smoke inhalation. “Initially, we were told there were 10 victims inside, and when we arrived eight of them had run up to the sixth floor.

“We used a skylift to bring the eight down, two of whom had severe breathing problems and were sent to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital, while the six other suffered minor breathing issues.

“After searching the fourth floor, we found the first two bodies of the local men along the exit way,” she said, adding that in total there were  in total 14 people inside.

Sayani said after further looking through 15 karaoke rooms, they found one body in one of the rooms and three more inside a toilet. “We are still investigating the cause of the fire,” she added.

All the bodies have been sent to the hospital for a post-mortem. Sayani said the eight-storey building was previously an office block, adding that she would need to check when the premises were converted into an entertainment outlet.

Ipoh deputy OCPD Supt Mohd Nordin Abdullah said the police would investigate the operating hours of the outlet. “We are not sure whether the outlet was still in operation at the time or if the staff were cleaning up the place,” he added.