12 fishermen hurt in gas cylinder blast

Some 12 fishermen suffered critical burn injuries when a gas cylinder exploded in a boat in Cox's Bazar town this morning.

The incident occurred around 8:00am, just a couple of hours after the fishermen anchored the boat to the Bakkhali river's jetty no 6 to begin selling the fish they caught from the Bay, our Cox's Bazar staff correspondent reports, quoting police.

Police could not immediately determine how the gas cylinder exploded, said Md Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Cox's Bazar Police Sadar Station.

Of the victims, 10 fishermen were sent to Chittagong Medical College Hospital with 70 percent burn injuries, said Ashiqur Rahman, resident medical officer (RMO) of Cox's Bazar General Hospital.

They are Aiyub, 31, Dil Mohammad, 30, Rafique, 25, Monir, 26, Shofiqul, 26, Arman, 20, Rahim, 37, Rahimullah, 30, Shaheen, 35, and Osman, 19.

The remaining two -- Ali Akhbor, 50, and Dulal Majhi, 47, were undergoing treatment at Cox's Bazar General Hospital with 30 percent burns.