10 injured in 'gas explosion' in Turag

Ten people, including women and children, sustained burn injuries after a suspected gas leak triggered an explosion in a house in Dhaka’s Turag area early today.

The incident happened around 3:30am on the first floor of a three-storey building near Member Bari on Kabarstan Road in Sector 10 of Kamarpara. Parts of the ground floor and first-floor walls collapsed.

The injured were admitted to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.

The victims were identified as Rubel Chowdury, 30, a ride-sharing motorcyclist; his pregnant wife Sonia Akter, 25; their daughter Roza, 4; Sonia’s elder sister Riya Akhter, 27; Sonia’s brother Enayet Matobbor, 32, a Bangladeshi expatriate to Dubai who was visiting his sister; Enayet’s wife Delwara Begum, 28; their son Junayed, 10; Enayet’s younger brother Habib, 26, a mason by profession; Enayet’s niece Ayesha Akhter, 19; and Abu Kalam Rubel, 35.

Sajed Matobbor, Enayet’s nephew and Ayesha’s brother, who paints houses for a living, resides on the second floor in the same building.

At the hospital, he said there was a loud bang around 3:30am and the glass windows in his room broke. He thought there was an earthquake and went to the roof. Later, when he heard cries of “fire” and got out of the building and learned that his family members were taken to the hospital.

He said Rubel was a ride-sharing motorcyclist who lived with his family on the first floor of the building. Enayet, who works in Dubai as an expatriate worker, returned to Bangladesh on February 10 and had come to visit his sister Sonia with his family from their home in Shibchar upazila of Madaripur.

“Parts of the ground-floor and the first-floor walls had collapsed. All 10 people inside the flat suffered burn injuries,” he said, adding that they suspected the blast occurred from gas accumulation.

Resident Surgeon Shawon Bin Rahman of the burn institute said Sonia suffered 100 percent burns, while Enayet sustained 85 percent burns.

Rubel suffered 32 percent burns, Riya 32 percent, Roza 18 percent, Delwara 14 percent, Junayed 24 percent, Habib 19 percent, Ayesha 12 percent, and Abu Kalam Rubel 7 percent burns.

He added that several of the victims also sustained injuries to their airways. All are currently undergoing treatment, with five in critical condition.

Senior Station Officer Alam Hossain of Uttara Fire Station told The Daily Star firefighters rushed to the scene but did not have to take any action as the fire had already been extinguished.

“We suspect the explosion occurred due to accumulated gas, which damaged several flats,” he said.

Sajed said Rubel’s house was entirely in ruins after the blast. As soon as he reached the hospital, he spoke to Sonia, who told him that she would not survive. Enayet told him to look after his children. He said all of them were in pain.

“We have informed our relatives. We are from a low-income background. We don’t know if we can afford the medicines and treatment in the coming days,” Sajed said.