At least 16 people were killed and over 100 others injured on Tuesday in an explosion at a seven-storey building here in Bangladesh's capital, police said.

Several firefighting units were rushed to the spot after the blast, which occurred around 4:50 pm (local time), the bdnews24 news portal reported, citing the fire service control room.

The cause of the explosion could not be known immediately.

At least 14 people were killed and more than 100 others injured in the explosion, The Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.

The death toll is likely to increase as several people are feared trapped in the basement of the building, the paper said.

The Rapid Action Battalion's bomb disposal unit is heading to the spot to inspect the buildings.

The injured were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said DMCH police outpost j+spector Bacchu Miah. He added that all of them were receiving treatment at the hospital's emergency unit.

The building has several stores for sanitary products on the bottom floor and a branch of BRAC Bank was located in the building adjacent to it.

The blast shattered the glass walls of the bank and also damaged a bus standing on the opposite side of the road, reports said.

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