At least 25 people have been injured as a gas cylinder burst at Chankharpul next to Dhaka Medical College Hospital yesterday.
Three of them have been critically injured.
Several business houses were also damaged due to the explosion at Kazi Gas Co around 12:30pm, said police, firemen and witnesses.
The shop, situated on an open space beside the road, sells compressed ammonium gas, which is used in storing gold.
At least 19 of the injured were admitted to the Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of the hospital, said its Registrar Dr Iqbal Ahmed.
The victims include employees of different shops in the area, rickshaw-pullers and pedestrians.
They were Shyamal Kumer Mondol, 30, Md Ripon, 25, Sabbir Ahmmed, 23, Parul Begum, 25, Shamsur Rahman, 35, Md Shahed, 25, Zahirul Islam, 30, Khokan MIah, 45, Azizur Rahman, 39, Shushil Kumer, 25, six-year-old child Meem, her mother Moni Begum, 40, Swapan, 30, Shahidul Huq, 42, Rahim Mollah, 34, Moklesur Rahman, 28, Abdur Rahman, 32, and Safura Begum, 32.
All the injured, admitted to the hospital, have been put on oxygen as they were injured due to smoke/gas inhalation, said Registrar Iqbal.
Chawkbazar police station’s officer-in-charge Abdur Rashid said, “After talking to relevant people, we have learnt that this cylinder exploded due to heavy heat inside.”