A powerful explosion shook the city’s Moghbazar Wireless Gate area, killing at least seven people and injuring nearly 55 other on Sunday evening. And the death toll is expected to rise as the condition of many injured persons is stated to be critical.
It has been initially predicted that the explosion originating from a gas blast at a restaurant (Sharma House) housed to the ground floor of a three-storey building, also affected adjacent seven buildings badly in the area. Pedestrians, bus passengers and many others were the worst victims of the explosion.
Experts of directorate of explosives said that the blast was not an ordinary one as presence of hydrocarbon constituent was found in the ravaged building. Besides, various gases might have accumulated at the ground floor of the building due to leak in the pipeline that caused the huge explosion
As public safety should not be compromised under
any circumstances, the government should call for
strict adherence to safety standards and procedures
We have our hearts go out to the families of the victims and all who have also been affected by this powerful explosion. We hope the critically injured people now undergoing treatment at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery of Dhaka Medical College Hospital and other city hospitals, will get proper treatment and all out supports.
As public safety should not be compromised under any circumstances, the government should call for strict adherence to safety standards and procedures.
Blast incidents have been frequently occurring in different areas of the capital Dhaka and its adjacent district Narayanganj. It may mentioned that a massive explosion at Baitus Salat Jam'e Mosque in Paschim Talla area of Fatulla under Narayanganj Sadar upazila on September 4 last year left 34 people dead and many other injured.
The most of the people, who run restaurant business in the city, do not have minimum expertise to assess whether their big gas ovens which continue generating heat since morning to till midnight, are subject to explosion hazards. Besides, staffs of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd seem to be reluctant to check the leakage in the gas pipelines that may spark fire anytime. Frequent blasts that are taking place in recent times are the consequences of weak adherence to safety standards, poor maintenance, irregularities among authorities concerned and government agencies. Therefore, the government should take all-out measures to prevent frequent explosions.
