10 burnt in gas leak explosion in Dhaka's Uttara

Ten people were burnt in an explosion triggered by a gas leak from a cylinder at a house in Kamarpur, Uttara, in the capital early Friday (6 March).

The injured include Md Rubel, 28; his pregnant wife Sonia Akter, 25; their daughter Roja, 3; Sonia’s elder sister Riya, 27; Rubel’s cousin Md Enayet, 32; Enayet’s wife Dulara Khatun, 28; their son Junayed, 13; Enayet’s brother Md Habib, 30; Enayet’s niece Ayesha, 19; and Abul Kalam Rubel, 35. All have been admitted to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.

Sajed Matubber, who brought the victims to the hospital, said the explosion occurred early in the morning on the second floor of Abul Kalam’s house, next to the Membarer Bari on Kamarpur, Sector 10 graveyard road, due to a gas cylinder leak. The blast injured ten members of the same family.

He added that Rubel works as a motorcycle ride-share driver, while his cousin Enayet is a Dubai-based expatriate who recently returned to Bangladesh. Their ancestral home is in Shibchar Upazila, Madaripur.

Dr Shawon Bin Rahman, resident physician at the institute, detailed the extent of burns among the victims: Sonia sustained burns over 100% of her body, Rubel 32%, Enayet 45%, Riya 32%, Junayed 24%, Habib 19%, Roja 18%, Dulara 14%, Ayesha 12%, and Abul Kalam 7%. He added that those with more severe burns have been admitted to the intensive care unit, while the others remain under observation.