Five of a family burnt in capital

A couple and their three children were burnt in a fire that broke out in their one-room residence at South Keraniganj, outside the capital, yesterday.

Rickshaw puller Ripon, 40, his wife Moli Begum, 35, their daughter Ripa, 15, and sons Monir Hossain, 9, and Abdul Gani, 5, were rushed to the Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 6:00am.

Ripon suffered 65 percent burns, Gani 45 percent, Monir around 28 percent, Ripa 22 percent while Moli suffered 15 percent burns, said Mozzamel Haque, an inspector at Dhaka Medical College Hospital Police Camp and doctors.

The fire originated from an electric short circuit in their room around 3:30am, and an electric wire and a mosquito net under which they were sleeping were found completely burnt, said Fire Service and Civil Defence sources and South Keraniganj police.