A gas cylinder explosion on a fishing trawler left 12 fishermen on board with burn injuries in Kutubdia upazila of Cox’s Bazar late on Friday.
Of them, nine were sent to the burns unit of Chittagong Medical College Hospital in critical condition. The rest are receiving treatment at Kutubdia Upazila Health Complex.
Kutubdia police station OC Omar Haider said the gas cylinder exploded at around 10:30pm on Friday when the trawler was near the local Dakshin Dhurang ghat after returning from the Bay of Bengal.
The blaze spread through the vessel quickly fuelled by on-board oil, he added.