Ashikuzzaman and Muna Sarkar Khan, the newlywed couple who were severely burnt in Friday’s Armanitola fire, have been put on life support at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
Dr Samanta Lal Sen, chief coordinator of the burn and plastic surgery institute, confirmed the matter to Dhaka Tribune on Saturday.
He said: “The two are in a critical state as their lungs were badly damaged in the fire. We all are sympathetic towards the newly married couple and are trying our level best to save them.
“However, they are still unconscious and have sustained internal burn injuries,” he added.
Ashikuzzaman and Muna, who had tied the knot only one and a half months ago, had been studying computer engineering at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), and Jagannath University (JnU) respectively.
Also read: 4 killed in chemical warehouse fire in Old Dhaka
Salman Farsi, younger brother of Ashikuzzaman, said: “The condition of my brother and sister-in-law remains unchanged.
“The doctors have told us that there will be nothing to do if they do not regain consciousness within 72 hours.”
According to Dr Sen: “Khorshed Alam and Shafayet Hossain, two others injured in the fire, are undergoing treatment in our ICU facility. They have sustained 22% and 25% burn injuries respectively.
Their condition is also critical,” he said.
He added, “A total of 16 victims of the Armanitola fire incident have been admitted to our post-operative care unit (PCU).
“All of them have internal burn injuries due to smoke and heat of the fire. No one is out of danger,” he added.
As of now, of the 21 people rescued and taken to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, only one was discharged following necessary treatment on Friday.
Meanwhile, a case was filed against about 30 people over the fire that broke out at a chemical warehouse in Armanitola, Old Dhaka, early on Friday.
Also read: Nearly 30 sued over chemical warehouse fire in Old Dhaka
Bangshal police lodged the case on Friday night, stated Officer-in-Charge (OC) Shahin Fakir, reports Bangla Tribune.
The fire that broke out on the ground floor of a six-storey building named Haji Musa Mansion, left four people, including a woman, dead and left 24 others, including three firemen, injured.
The OC said seven to eight people, including the owner of the building Mostak Ahmed, were sued along with 15 to 20 unnamed others.
"They have been charged with causing the deaths through negligence and keeping illegal chemical substances in the building.
"We are carrying out an investigation and conducting drives to arrest the accused," the police official added.
Old Dhaka remains a ticking time bomb during fires because of illegal chemical warehouses, unplanned building construction, narrow roads and high population density.
In February 2019, a devastating fire at Wahed Mansion in the Churihatta area of Chawkbazar claimed 71 lives.
In June 2010, a deadly fire in Nimtoli took 124 lives.