Sutrapur fire: Third victim dies at Burn Institute

Fire, representational image

Dhaka, Sept 26 — A 17-year-old girl, who suffered burn injuries in a fire following a family dispute at Shyambazar Chamartuli in the capital’s Sutrapur area on September 19 (Saturday), died at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery on Friday, raising the death toll from the incident to three. 

The deceased was identified as Tania Akter. 

Tania, who suffered 60 percent burn injuries, died at the intensive care unit (ICU) of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery around 6:45pm, said Dr Sultan Mahmud, a resident medical officer at the institute. 

On September 19, five members of a family, including Mohammad Emon, a Bangladeshi expatriate in Saudi Arabia, suffered burn injuries after he set himself on fire by pouring petrol over his body following a family feud at around 4:30pm in Shyambazar Chamartuli of Sutrapur. 

Emon breathed his last at the ICU of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery around 11:50am on September 20. 

Four other victims — Siddique Bepari, 60, his nephew Rajib, 38, a mechanic at National Hospital; nephew Arifur Rahman Dhalu, 35, an electrician; and niece Tania Akter, 17, an honours student at a women’s college in Old Dhaka — were undergoing treatment at the burn institute. 

Later, Siddique died at the same hospital on Thursday. 

Among them, Emon suffered 90 percent burn injuries, while Siddique suffered 35 percent burn injuries.

All the victims live in adjacent houses on their ancestral property in the area. 

Sonia Akter, wife of another victim, Arifur Rahman Dhalu, said an argument broke out between Emon’s sister Sultana and Tania on Friday over stagnant dirty water in front of their houses. 

Tania asked Sultana to clean the water, following which Sultana informed her brother Emon, who returned home after learning about the dispute, Sonia said.

Emon threatened to kill everyone and himself before pouring petrol inside his room. Later, he set himself on fire, leaving all five people injured. - UNB