Six people, including members of two families, sustained burn injuries in an explosion reportedly triggered by a gas leak in Savar’s Ashulia, on the outskirts of the capital early Wednesday.
The explosion around 5am at a tin-shed house in the Palli Bidyut Kabarasthan Road area.
The victims are Abdul Hakim, 35, and his wife Adori Khatun, 30; Awal Islam, 35, his wife Renu Begum, 28, and their daughter Afia, 9; and Afroza Begum, 35.
The injured were admitted to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery around 8:30am.
Jamal Uddin, who took them to the hospital, said the victims included tailors and garment workers.
“I was still asleep in the morning when I was suddenly awakened by the fire and I ran out of my room. I couldn’t say how the fire started but it is possible a gas leak could’ve caused it,” he added,
Dr Partha Shankar Pal, a resident physician at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, said: “Among the victims, Awal and his wife Renu both have 15% burns while their daughter Afia has 22% burns.
“Meanwhile, Afroza was admitted with 55% burns, followed by Abdul with 23% burns and his wife Adori with 12% burns.”
The victims were all undergoing treatment and their conditions were critical, he added.
Meanwhile, Jahangir Alam, a senior station officer at the DEPZ Fire Service and Civil Defence, said it was not still unclear how the explosion occurred.
