3 of a family burnt after gas leak sparks fire in Ashulia

Three members of a family have suffered burn injuries after their house in Dhaka’s Ashulia caught fire following a blast in the kitchen due to gas accumulation.

They were admitted to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute around 8:30am on Sunday, according to Dr Shawon Bin Rahman from the institute's emergency department.

The victims are Jahangir, 32, his wife Beauty, 28 and their child five-year-old Toa -- all identified by single names.

Jahangir suffered burns on 91 percent of his body, Toa on 80 percent and Beauty on 33 percent.

A gas explosion occurred around 6:30am in the kitchen of the house in Ashulia's Kathgora area when the stove was lit for cooking, said Shawon, citing relatives of the injured. All three of the victims are in critical condition.

"Two of them have suffered burns on over 80 percent of their bodies, while one has burns on 33 percent. All of them have suffered injuries to their respiratory tracts, making their condition critical," said Shawon.

Jahangir and his family lived on the first floor of a house owned by Shohag Mondal in Kathgora's Chala Bazar area, according to locals.

Habibur Rahman, a neighbour who witnessed the incident, said that the gas stove was turned on for cooking when a loud explosion occurred. "It wasn't a cylinder blast. The window was bent and all the furniture in the room was burnt in the fire," he said.