At least five people were injured in an explosion at a one-storey building of Ummal Qura International Madrasa in Hasnabad area of South Keraniganj on Friday.
The explosion occurred around 11am. As it was a holiday, no students were present at the madrasa at the time.
The blast damaged furniture inside the building, shattered window glass and blew off part of a wall, sending glass shards and debris into the surrounding area. A neighbouring building owned by Mohammad Hossain was also damaged.
The injured were identified as madrasa teacher Al Amin, 32, his wife Asia Begum, 28, their two sons Umayet, 10, and Abdullah, 7, and Zakir Hossain, 45, a worker at a nearby CNG garage.
Building owner Parvin Begum said construction of the building was completed in 2022 and it was later rented out to a man named Mufti Harun to run a madrasa. She said Mufti Harun later assigned his brother-in-law Al Amin to manage the madrasa, where Al Amin and his wife served as teachers, while Mufti Harun visited occasionally.
She said madrasa activities were conducted in three rooms of the building, and in an adjacent room the madrasa director Sheikh Al Amin had been living with his wife and children for the past three years.
Police from South Keraniganj Police Station rushed to the scene after being informed of the explosion, but could not immediately confirm its cause.
Police said they recovered explosive substances and various materials used to make bombs from inside the building during a search of the premises. The exact nature of the explosive and the cause of the blast have yet to be determined.
South Keraniganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Saiful Alam said initial reports suggested a gas explosion, but inspection of the site found the gas cylinder intact, ruling out a gas blast.
He said the Keraniganj Circle and the bomb disposal unit are jointly investigating the incident and the actual cause will be known after the probe is completed. Additional police have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order.
