Four people, including a father and his two young daughters, sustained burn injuries following an explosion during a water tank cleaning operation in Dhaka’s Hazaribagh area on Saturday evening. The incident took place at a residential building near the Tannery intersection.
The injured have been identified as Md. Ziauddin (42), the owner of the house; his daughters Nazia Sultana Rafia (8) and Faria Sultana (3); and a worker named Belal Hossain (36).
All four were admitted to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery for treatment.
According to Ziauddin’s nephew, SM Shahporan, the explosion occurred when the worker, Belal, was cleaning the underground water tank. Ziauddin was standing nearby on the staircase with his two daughters.
Due to low visibility in the area, he approached the tank with a light to assist, at which point a gas buildup inside the tank is believed to have ignited, causing the explosion. All four were injured and later taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Doctors at the burn institute confirmed that Ziauddin suffered burns on 4 percent of his body, Belal on 17 percent, while Rafia and Faria sustained 6 percent and 5 percent burns respectively. Treatment is ongoing for all the injured.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the gas accumulation that led to the explosion.
