Inferno at Cox’s Bazar LPG station: 3 in ICU among 6 critical patients

Six victims of the reportedly unauthorised LPG filling station blast in Cox’s Bazar are in critical condition and undergoing treatment at Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH), district authorities said today.

Additional District Magistrate Shahidul Islam said all six patients suffered inhalation injuries, which doctors warned could be life‑threatening even with minor burns to the respiratory tract.

The injured are: Abdur Rahim, 32; Siraj, 30; Abu Taher, 40; Abul Kashem, 27; Sakib, 30; and Mutabber, 40, with burn injuries ranging from 20 to 93 percent.

Dr Ashfaqul Asif, registrar of CMCH’s Burn and Plastic Surgery unit, said Taher, Siraj, and Rahim were shifted to the ICU after their condition deteriorated.

All patients have inhalation injuries and none can be considered out of danger, he mentioned.

The blast occurred around 10:00 pm on Wednesday at the LPG filling station near Kolatoli, injuring at least 15 people.

Fire Service officials suspect faults during gas loading and unloading as the likely cause.

Syed Muhammad Morshed Hossain, deputy assistant director of Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the station lacked a fire safety plan and certificate, mandatory to obtain from Fire Service and Civil Defence for such facilities.

Full extent of the damages is yet to be determined, he added.

Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md A Mannan announced a five‑member probe committee, led by the additional district magistrate, with representatives from Fire Service, Environment Department, district police, and the Department of Explosives.

Committee chief Shahidul Alam said that they have begun work, questioning the pump owner and reviewing compliance of nearby filling stations.

The station’s owner, N Alam, a businessman from Ramu upazila, claimed he had permission to operate the facility.

After a visit to the site this morning, this correspondent witnessed a charred filling station. The surrounding vegetation burned, and two nearby houses were also destroyed.

Residents of those houses were seen lamenting. Islam Begum, wife of one of the victims Md Siraj, said firefighters had earlier controlled the fire that broke out at the filling station, but failed to stop gas leakage, which later triggered the blast around 9:30 pm-10:30 pm.

“All our belongings are gone. We have no place to stay,” she said in between wailing.

About 100 yards away is Rahim’s Parking, where around 20-25 tourist vehicles were parked. The space had been evacuated, but the parking lot's caretaker Rahim was severely burned from that explosion.

“At the time of the explosion, it felt like the whole area had turned into hell,” said Mohammad Arif, a driver who used to park his vehicle in that space.