Moghbazar blast: Death toll rises to nine

Dhaka, June 30 -- The death toll from Sunday's Moghbazar building blast rose to nine as one more person succumbed to his burn injuries at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) early on Wednesday.

The deceased was identified as Imran Hossain, 25, an employee of Bengal Meat, and son of Abdul Mujib Bhuiya of Sadar upazila in Tangail district.

Imran sustained 90 percent burns in the explosion on June 27 and since then he had been undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit of Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.

He breathed his last around 6am on Wednesday, said Bachchu Mia, inspector of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital police outpost.

On Tuesday, firefighters pulled out the body of a 65-year-old security guard from the debris of a three-storey building where the deadly blast occurred.

The body of security guard Harun-ur-Rashid was recovered around 3.30 pm, the deputy director (operations) of Fire Service and Civil Defence, Debashish Bardhan, had said.

Earlier that day, police lodged a case against unidentified persons for causing death due to negligence in connection with the blast.

An FIR in the case was filed at the Ramna police station on a complaint by sub-inspector Rezzaul Karim, Officer-in-charge Monirul Islam told UNB.

Eight people were killed and more than 66 others injured after a powerful explosion ripped through a building near Moghbazar Wireless Gate on Sunday evening.

The next day, police formed a seven-member committee to investigate the blast.

Additional police commissioner of Counter Terrorism and Transnationals Crime (CTTC) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) will head the committee, the Bangladesh Police Headquarters said in a release on Monday.

The committee has been asked to investigate the explosion and recommend prevention of such incidents in future.  It will also coordinate with the committee formed by the Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the release.

Earlier that day, Brig. Gen. Md Sazzad Hussain, director general of Fire Service and Civil Defence, said that they had formed a five-member committee to investigate the explosion.

Both the committees have seven working days to submit their reports. - UNB