The blast is believed to have been caused by a gas leak somewhere in the building. Police have ruled out any foul play behind the incident. COURTESY
A horrific explosion has triggered the partial collapse of a building while shattering the glass walls of dozens of nearby structures in Moghbazar. At least seven people were killed in the incident, which rocked the Wireless Gate area around 7:30 pm on Sunday. Hundreds, including many pedestrians and commuters, are being treated for their injuries at different hospitals in the capital.
The blast is believed to have been caused by a gas leak somewhere in the building. Police have ruled out any foul play behind the incident.
Mangled pillars, glass shards and broken concrete were all over 79 Outer Circular Road. Two heavily damaged buses were left in a heap outside the three-storey building, witnesses said.
The ground floor of the building housed outlets of Shawarma House restaurant chain and Bengal Meat. Singer has its showroom on the second floor.
Aarong has an outlet opposite the collapsed building. Broken glass walls of some buildings, including that of Aarong, littered the road.
The building, which is believed to be the scene of the explosion, has a three-storey facade but an additional floor can be seen at the back.
It is quite an old structure, said Oliur Rahman, a resident of Boro Moghbazar.
"We have received information so far that seven people have been killed in the incident," Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Shafiqul Islam said.
However, Director General of Fire Service (DG) Brig Gen Sazzad Hussain put the death count at three while speaking to reporters at the scene.
Later, Ramna Police OC Monirul Islam put the death toll at six. He cited the death of one person at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, three at the burns unit, one at Ad-din Hospital and another at Community Medical College Hospital.
Most of the injured have been admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Sheikh Hasina Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute and Moghbazar's Community Medical College Hospital. Two, including a child, died at Community Hospital after the incident, according to a reporter’s account from the scene. A child was among the dead.
Meanwhile, two others, both men, passed away at the burns institute, according to Inspector Bachchu Mia, in charge of the police camp at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Four or five of the victims were in “critical” condition, he added.
Samanta Lal Sen, the convener of the burns unit, said, "Four of the injured suffered burns in different parts of their bodies. Two were found dead.”
Another patient at the unit named Swapan,35, passed away around 10 pm.
'Nahid' was on his way home to Khilgaon in a bus when fragments from the building struck his head during the explosion.
He was subsequently taken to the hospital but was released after receiving first aid.
Another bus passenger named Sajjad also received care at DMCH.
Debashish Bardhan, a deputy director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, said some rescuers reached the site, while others were on their way on hearing that several people were trapped inside a collapsed building.
As many as 41 people have been admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Among them, a woman named Jannat, 25, succumbed to her injuries, Bachchu Miah said.
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