5 of a family severely burnt in Badda gas fire

Five members of a family, including three children, have been severely burnt in a fire sparked by accumulated gas inside a house in Dhaka’s Badda.

They were admitted in critical condition to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka following the incident around 12:30am on Saturday in the Aftabnagar area, according to Dr Shawon Bin Rahman, resident surgeon at the institute’s emergency department.

The injured have been identified as Md Tofazzal Hossain, 45, his wife Mansura Akter, 35, and their daughters Tanisha, 11, Mithila, 7, and Tanzila, 4.

“Tofazzal has suffered burns on 80 percent of his body, Mansura 68 percent, Tanisha 30 percent, Mithila 60 percent, and Tanzila 66 percent.

Their burn injuries are extensive. Their condition is not good -- it is critical.”

A relative of the family, who came to the burn institute, said: “They lived in a rented flat on the ground floor of a house in Aftabnagar. A few days ago, gas lines were damaged during road work nearby, and gas had been leaking from there since.

“It’s likely that the leaked gas accumulated inside the house. Late at night, someone may have lit a cigarette or otherwise ignited a flame, triggering an explosion. A wall of the house collapsed during the blast.”