Three youths sustained burn injuries in an explosion triggered by accumulated gas at a residence in Free School Street area of Kalabagan, Dhaka, early Thursday.
The victims were identified as Rana, 22, Jewel, 20, and Parvez, 21.
All three are employees of various furniture shops in Panthapath area. They were rescued and admitted to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
According to Imran Hossain Rajib, a businessman who took the victims to the hospital, the explosion occurred around 11:45pm at the house located in Box Culvert road.
Jewel resides in the ground-floor flat with his family.
As his family members were currently visiting their village home, Jewel had invited his friends, Rana and Parvez, to stay with him on Wednesday night.
Imran said the flat is situated directly above a septic tank. Family members had previously complained to the landlord that the floor of the room remained consistently hot, but the landlord reportedly ignored the issue.
Furthermore, a smell of gas was frequently noticed near the building. It is suspected that gas had accumulated within the room and ignited when a matchstick was struck.
Doctors at the DMCH burn unit said that Rana is in a critical condition with 63 per cent burns and has been placed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Jewel and Parvez sustained burns to 30 per cent and 21 per cent of their bodies respectively.
