Most of the injured in the Sitakunda's Seema Oxygen Plant blast are suffering from blast-induced hearing loss, while some of them are having trouble seeing properly.
A total of 17 injured in the explosion are receiving treatment in different wards of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH). One of them has been kept in the ICU.
Chittagong Medical College Hospital casualty ward Resident Doctor Adifa Akhter said some of the injured are experiencing hearing loss. Some are having trouble seeing due to eye injuries.
“Many of the injured here are traumatized, but they are out of danger,” she said.
One of the employees of the plant, Arafat Alam, said: “I am a permanent employee of the factory for the last 24 years. I am a mechanic. We never had such incidents before.”
“When the explosion took place, I was inside the factory. All of a sudden I heard a loud explosion and a metal object fell on top of me. I fainted, and when I regained consciousness, I was in the hospital,” he added.
He added that he has been suffering from hearing loss, and his eyes were burning since the explosion.
Another patient, Md Forkan, said: “I used to refill gas at the factory. I wasn't close to the plant when the explosion took place. But I am still having trouble hearing.”
Md Forkan is currently admitted to the hospital's ward no 27.
The death toll from the Sitakunda oxygen plant explosion rose to seven as another person succumbed to their injuries at CMCH Sunday night. He was receiving treatment at the intensive care unit.
The explosion happened around 4:40pm on Saturday. On receiving information, nine units of the Fire Service, army, RAB, police and volunteer organizations participated in the rescue work.
The explosion at Seema Oxygen Plant rattled neighbouring areas and engulfed them in thick black smoke. Locals said the massive explosion shook at least two square kilometres of the surrounding area.