DHAKA, Feb. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- At least 91 workers, mostly women, have been killed and dozens others wounded in a blaze at a composite textile mill in southeastern Bangladesh, television channel ATN Bangla reported Friday.

    Fire service officials said the fire broke out at the three-storied KTS Textiles when a boiler exploded with a bang at about 7:15 p.m. (1315 GMT) Thursday in Bangladesh's second largest southeastern Chittagong port city, about 262 km from Dhaka.

A fire engulfs a textile factory, at the Kalurghat area of Bangladesh's port city of Chittagong. (Xinhua/AFP)

    The death toll is rising and the identities of the victims and the extent of damage to the mill are yet to be established.

    Workers of neighboring industrial units told the television that textile mills caught fire more than once in the past, but theowner of the mill did not make separate exit points in the mills.

    They said many workers jumped to death from the third floor as all the gates of miller were locked and the puzzled workers could not open them.

    Workers of some neighboring factories say many workers might have died in stampede caused by workers inside.

    According to the television report, the fire was under control on Friday after 14 hours fight by 24 fire engines of fire service men.

Bodies of garment workers victims of a fire are lined up outside a textile factory. (Xinhua/AFP)

    Bangladeshi army joined the fire fight Friday morning and recovered many bodies from inside the mill. Many wounded workers, who were taken to hospital for serious injuries also died Thursdaynight and Friday morning.

    Workers in the neighboring industries said many bodies were found in the stair case of the KTS Textile, which means, the workers desperately attempted to come out of the mill after the fire broke out, but all their efforts went in vain.

    Bangladeshi Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia will visit the blaze site later Friday to check the situation.

    Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has been asking garment owners to make several transit points in their units.

    Bangladesh earns around 70 percent of its foreign currency fromgarments.

    In Bangladesh scores of garment workers, mainly women, die every year in fire as the fast growing industry employs over 2 million workers, 90 percent of whom are women. Enditem