Fire from leaked gas explosion. Representational image.
The incident took place around 3:30am on the ground floor of a five-storey building in the Kagji Tola area of Sutrapur, reportedly due to a gas leakage.
The injured have been identified as Ripon, 35, his wife Chandni, 28, and their three children—Rokon, 14, Tamim, 22, and one-year-old Ayesha.
All five were rushed to the Emergency Department of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery around 5:30am, said Dr. Shaon Bin Rahman, resident surgeon of the institute.
Ripon sustained 60% burns, Chandni 45%, Rokon 60%, Tamim 42%, and Ayesha 43%, the doctor confirmed.
“All of them have suffered airway burns and are in critical condition,” he added.
Following initial treatment, the victims were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the institute.
Zakir Hossain, uncle of Ripon, said his nephew, a van puller by profession, was asleep with his family when the explosion occurred. “We suspect it was caused by a gas leak,” he said, adding that doctors have termed all their conditions as critical, reports UNB.