DHAKA – A powerful explosion occurred in a mosque in Narayangan district, Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Friday (4/9) night. As a result, 17 worshipers died and dozens were injured.
“ Seventeen people, including a child, died after they suffered burns. The death toll could increase because many of them are in critical condition, ” said the coordinator of the burns unit, Samanta Lal Sen, reported by English Alarabiya, on Sunday (6/9).
The explosion was thought to have been caused by a leaking gas pipe. According to a doctor, 37 people were rushed to a hospital specializing in burns and plastic surgery in Dhaka after the incident.
“Most of them had severe burns,” said one doctor.
According to local eye witness Mohammad Ratan, a puff of smoke gushed out of the mosque after an explosion was heard and many people screamed. Even some of the people who were hit by the flames, tried to roll on the street to put out the flames on their bodies.
“ I saw smoke gushing out of the mosque after a sudden explosion with a big bang and people screaming. Some were rolling on the street as they tried to put out the fire on their bodies, ” said Ratan.
According to firefighters, the trigger for the explosion was the leaking gas which then accumulated in the room after the door was closed. A room filled with gas and exposed to sparks when turning on the air conditioner resulted in an explosion.
“ We especially suspect that gas is leaking from the pipes and has accumulated inside since the window was closed. The explosion was likely due to sparks when the air conditioner was turned on, ” said Fire Service senior official Abdullah Al Arefin.
Authorities have conducted an investigation into the incident.
Lax regulation and poor law enforcement are often blamed for domestic and industrial fires in Bangladesh.
In February last year, a fire broke out in a residential area in Dhaka and killed 71 people. A month later, 25 people died when a fire broke out in a 22-story commercial building in the Banani area of Dhaka. ***
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