Dhaka, March 19 -- "Brother, please forgive me," were the heart-wrenching words Muntasim Solaiman Aadi uttered to his friend and part-time employer Md Asif in their final phone call.

Moments later, Aadi, 27, was engulfed by smoke and flames inside the 12-storey Orchid Plaza in Chattogram's Terry Bazar on Thursday morning.

Aadi and 52-year-old Md Yunus, both from Patiya Upazila, were among the two people who lost their lives in the fire.

Another individual trapped with them survived and is receiving treatment at Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH).

Asif, who runs a shoe store on the mall's ground floor where Aadi worked during Ramadan, said he received the panicked call around 10am.

"Aadi had gone upstairs to the mosque around ...