An explosion occurred in the basement of a building on North Road in Siddik Bazar of the capital that the first responders suspect to be a result of a gas leakage.
A senior official of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC) bomb disposal unit said that gas is still bubbling out of the gas line.
On condition of anonymity, the CTTC official said: "The explosion in Siddik Bazar is similar to the explosion from gas leakage in Moghbazar."
Major Moshiur Rahman, head of RAB's bomb disposal unit, briefed reporters about the progress of rescue operations on Wednesday.
He said: "Only the room on the north side of the building exploded. There, it was seen that the shockwave from the blast went upwards. Because of this, the basement and the roof of one floor were damaged and the roof of the second floor was turned into a dome. Cracks have appeared in some pillars of the basement on the north side of the building. However, the master management did not suffer much.”
Major Moshiur Rahman said: “RAB is working in coordination with Titas Gas Authority and Rajuk experts. We confirmed initially that the explosion took place in the basement. This is not a normal explosion. It is a powerful explosion. This may be due to gas leakage. But we are working with other things in mind. Apart from this, the risk of this happening from an air conditioner blast is very low.”
He continued: “I have collected samples from here and sent them to the lab for testing. We are trying to come to a conclusion. We are also trying to find out whether there has been an explosion from gas or something else is involved.”F
File Photo of Moghbazar explosion Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka TribuneOn June 27, 2021, a terrible explosion occurred on the ground floor of a three-storey building in the Moghbazar area of the capital.
Twelve people died in that incident. More than two hundred were injured. At least seven buildings in the vicinity were damaged in the explosion. The windows of three buses on the road were broken.
According to the investigation report of the incident, there was an illegal gas connection in the building. Gas leaked out of the pipeline and accumulated inside a restaurant on the ground floor of the building where the explosion took place.
After talking to several members of the fire service and several officials of the CTTC who conducted the rescue operation in the collapsed building in Siddikbazar, the smell of gas is also coming from the blast zone.
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However, officials have confirmed that they did not find any signs of explosives.
Local people said that there was a kitchen room of a restaurant called Cafe Queen in the building of Siddik Bazar.
However, it was closed seven or eight years ago. The owner of the building, Rezaur Rahman, ran the restaurant.
Fire Service and Civil Defense Dhaka Divisional Deputy Director Dinmoni Sharma said: "When we first came to the site, we smelled gas. Then I shut off the gas line in the area first and started working. The smell of gas can be found inside the building.”
The deputy director said: “Since it is a residential building, it is natural to have gas connections. I heard that the room where the explosion happened was the kitchen room of the restaurant which was closed long ago. We are working on these issues. The bomb disposal unit of the army has arrived. They are also working. So far, no signs of explosives have been found.”
Even though all the organizations involved in the rescue work talked about explosion from gas leakage, Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited claimed that there was no explosion from gas or gas leakage.
Titas Director Salim Mia claimed that signs of a gas riser were found inside the building and it was intact.
Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka Tribune“We investigated the explosion site in three stages with a gas detector machine. We found a riser in the building but it was intact. The gas detector machine found no evidence of gas. Therefore, the explosion did not occur due to gas leakage,” he said.
Salim Miah further said the true reason behind the explosion will be revealed after investigation.
“We have so far not found any evidence which might indicate that the explosion happened due to gas leakage. However, we are still investigating the site,” he added.
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) Director Hamidul Rahman said: "I cannot say about the legal status of the building.”
Hamidul Islam said: “Today is a public holiday. The documents are yet to be checked as the office is closed. When the office opens tomorrow (Thursday), it will be possible to provide details about the approval of the building. The current condition of the building can also be clarified by looking at the documents.”
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On Tuesday, at least 19 people were killed and over 100 others injured in a massive explosion in a seven-storey building near a BRTC bus counter at Siddik Bazar in the capital's Gulistan.
Among the injured, 11 people have been undergoing treatment at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
Meanwhile, the government has announced financial assistance of Tk50,000 each to the families of those killed in the explosion. Relatives are receiving financial assistance from a temporary tent set up by the district administration in front of the emergency gate of Dhaka Medical College Hospital by showing the death certificate of the deceased.