Gas cylinder blast at Ashulia garment factory kills 6

Six people have died and 13 others sustained burn injuries after a gas cylinder explosion triggered a fire at a readymade garment factory at Ashulia’s Jamgora.

The fire broke out around 6:45pm on Sunday inside the factory owned by the Pretty Group, located within S Suhi Industrial Park.

Hafizur Rahman, deputy assistant director of Dhaka-4 Fire Service and Civil Defence, confirmed the fatalities later in the evening.

"The explosion occurred while gas cylinders were being unloaded from a covered van.

“A woman was killed outside the factory after being hit by a flying cylinder, while the bodies of five others were recovered from inside the covered van," he said.

Shortly before this, Industrial Police-1 Superintendent Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan had texted bdnews24.com on WhatsApp message: "The fire originated from a gas cylinder explosion inside the factory compound. The blaze has now been brought under control.

"Two deaths have been confirmed so far in the incident. The casualty count may rise further."

The officer added that the identities of the dead have not yet been established.