On Tuesday at around 5:30 p.m., an explosion occurred in a seven-storey building close to the BRTC bus counter near Siddique Bazar in the Gulistan area of the capital’s old town. The explosion took place on the ground floor of the building, where a sanitary shop was located.
The blast caused severe damage to several upper floors of the building. The incident resulted in the deaths of 14 people, and at least 70 others were injured. The death toll is feared to rise as the rescue operation is still ongoing.
Rescue operation ongoing as injured people gather in DMCH
The fire service department received the information immediately after the blast, and they immediately started the rescue operation. 11 units of fire service personnel are still conducting the rescue operation in the area.
The injured people were immediately taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, and as reported by Bachchu Mia, the inspector of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital police outpost, around 50 people were brought to the hospital in connection with the explosion. Out of these, 14 people were declared dead by the doctors.
The exact cause of the explosion is still unknown, and investigations are underway to find out the cause. The incident has left the local residents in shock and grief, and “the authorities are taking all necessary steps to provide assistance to the affected families,” said officials.
Two women and 12 men are among the dead, but their identities have not yet been made available to the public.
Around 7:30 p.m., the fire service confirmed that they had recovered the bodies of 10 people who were killed in the explosion. They also managed to rescue some injured individuals and are currently providing medical treatment to them.
Series of incendiary accident
This incident comes in the midst of a series of fire and explosion-related accidents in Bangladesh. Just last Sunday, three people were killed in an explosion in a building located in the Science Lab area of Dhaka. The cause of the explosion is still unknown, and investigations are ongoing too.
In another incident that occurred on the previous Saturday, seven people were killed and many more were injured. The explosion and fire took place at Seema Oxygen Limited in Sitakunda, Chittagong. The cause of that incident was attributed to a gas leak from a cylinder, which eventually caused the explosion and fire.
The recent spate of fire and explosion-related accidents in Bangladesh has raised concerns about the safety standards and regulations in the country. The authorities have been urged to take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of the citizens and to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
