Seven people were killed and 15 injured in a gas pipe line blast at a house of Patharghata in Chattogram on Sunday morning.
The explosion happened around 8.45 am on the ground floor of Barua Building the residence of Sandha Rani, at Brickfield road. In the huge explosion part of the wall of the house and another protection wall of the building collapsed.
Locals rescued the victims and sent them to hospitals immediately after the explosion. Police and fire service personnel also joined the rescue operation within 15/20 minutes.
Locals said that the whole area was shaken by the sound of the explosion, but no fire was seen.
A total of 17 people were rescued and rushed to Chattogram Medical Collage Hospital (CMCH) where the doctors declared seven dead. The dead included four men, two women and a baby.
During a spot visit, it was seen that the bricks of the collapsed walls splintered off to 20- 25 feet away, and another building on the side has also been damaged.
Residents of both the buildings have been evacuated following the explosion. The district administration has formed a five-member inquiry committee to investigate the cause.
Nurul Islam, father of a one year old daughter, was one of the dead. His wife Sadia and other relatives were rushed to CMCH after the blast.
Nurul Islam, a building painter and a resident of Karnaphuli bridge northern end area, was working at Patharghata, the area of explosion, for some days. “He left home at seven in the morning for work, and we got his death news at 930 am,” said Sadia. While she was lamenting, she had a one-year-old baby in her arms.
Annie Barua, a primary school teacher killed in the incident, was waiting for another colleague on her way to school. She was near the place of explosion and was buried under the collapsed walls, said her relatives waiting for her dead body at Chattogram Medical Collage Hospital CMCH emergency.
“Most of those dead and injured were hit by the walls or hit by bricks. The condition of four of the injured is critical, two of whom received burn injury over 30 percent of their body,” said Hasan Shahriar Kabir Director of Chattogram Divisional Health Department.
“All the injured are admitted at different wards of CMCH, and we are taking good care of them,” he added.
AJM Nasir Uddin, Mayor of Chattogram City Corporation and other government officials visited the scene and assured assistance to the families of the victims.
Officers from various departments, including the Fire Service, Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited KGDCL and Explosives Department went to the spot to investigate the cause of the explosion.
Akbar Hossain Assistant Director of the Fire Service told The Bangladesh Post that a loud explosion rocked the ground floor of Sandha Rani. But there was no sign of fire in the collapsed scene. “Leaked gas may be the cause of explosion but it’s not confirmed yet how the gas leaked from the lines or any other sources”. A probe body has been formed by the district commissioner to submit the reports as early as possible,” he added.