Five people, including four members of the same family, sustained burn injuries in an explosion triggered by a gas leak at a residence in Madanpur area of Narayanganj on Thursday morning.
The victims have been identified as Ali Ahmed Mannan, 50, a vegetable trader; his wife Sultana Akter, 42, a garment worker; their son Siam, 19, a college student; their daughter Meemi, 9, a school student; and a pedestrian child, Hazrat Ali, 8.
The incident occurred around 6:30am in Chhotobag area of Madanpur. According to the victims and their relatives, the family resides in a rented one-storey house.
Sources said there had been a leak in the gas stove line, which Mannan attempted to repair himself earlier that morning. The explosion took place shortly after his wife, Sultana Akter, lit the stove to begin cooking.
The injured were immediately rushed to National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka for treatment.
Dr Shawon Bin Rahman, a residential surgeon at the institute, said Sultana suffered 90 per cent burns, while Siam sustained 77 per cent, Meemi 41 per cent, and Mannan 30 per cent. The pedestrian, Hazrat Ali, sustained 8 per cent burns.
Dr Shawon further noted that the condition of the four family members is critical as their respiratory tracts have been burnt. They remain admitted at the institute, while Hazrat Ali was the only one not required to be admitted for long-term care.
