Children among 4 injured in Keraniganj madrasa blast, explosives recovered

The blast took place at the Ummal Qura International Madrasa in the Hasnabad area

Four people, including two children, have been injured after an explosion at a madrasa in South Keraniganj on the outskirts of Dhaka.

The blast took place on Friday afternoon at the Ummal Qura International Madrasa in the Hasnabad area.

Explosives and bomb-making materials were recovered from the building following the blast, according to police.

Local residents say the madrasa has around 50 students, but classes were not being held on Friday because it was the weekly holiday.

A journalist in South Keraniganj, citing local accounts, said the explosion caused the walls of two rooms used by the madrasa to collapse, with cracks appearing in the roof and supporting columns. The owner of a neighbouring building also reported cracks there.

The building had been rented for the past three years by a man named Mufti Harun, who ran the madrasa before handing its management to his brother-in-law Al Amin, according to local residents.

The property’s owner, Parveen Begum, said she was unaware of any illegal activity taking place under the cover of the madrasa.

“When I went there on Friday, I saw that the area around the building had been blown apart,” she said.

Police later recovered chemicals, crude explosive devices and bomb-making equipment from inside the building, residents said.

SP Mizanur said the cause of the explosion had not yet been determined.

“We are still investigating how the blast occurred,” he said.