Six people with severe burn injuries have been admitted to the Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of Chittagong Medical College Hospital following a gas pump explosion at an LPG filling station at Dalphin Crossing in Kolatoli, Cox’s Bazar.
The injured were brought to the hospital at approximately 2:45am on Wednesday from Cox’s Bazar and were immediately admitted for treatment.
The victims have been identified as Abu Taher, 40; Siraj, 25; Abdur Rahim, 39; Sakib, 22; Motaher, 45; and Abul Kashem.
Nurul Alam Ashik, in-charge of the CMCH police outpost, confirmed it to Dhaka Tribune and said that the six men were transported in critical condition.
The explosion occurred at around 10:30pm on Tuesday at the N Alam LPG Filling Station in the Kolatoli area. At least 16 people were reportedly injured in the incident. The fire spread to a nearby garage, destroying 20 to 25 tourist jeeps, locally known as “Chander Gari”, and damaging at least 10 houses in the vicinity.
According to Fire Service officials, a gas leak had been ongoing for some time from a 14,000-litre storage tank at the station. Preliminary findings suggest that accumulated gas from the leak might have triggered the explosion.
Dr. Md Rashed Ul Karim, assistant registrar of the Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit at CMCH, said all six patients sustained respiratory tract injuries in addition to burns covering between 20 percent and 90 percent of their bodies. Three of the victims remain in critical condition, he added.
