19 victims of Gazipur gas fire in ‘critical condition’ at hospital

A total of 29 victims were admitted to the Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute after the blaze in Kaliakoir

Doctors say that 19 of the 29 victims of a fire at Gazipur’s Kaliakoir admitted to the Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute are in critical condition.

Initially, 32 were brought to the institute, said Md Tariqul Islam, resident physician at the burn institute, on Saturday. Two of them died and another was released.

Many of those in critical condition have burns on 50-90 percent of their bodies, Dr Tariqul said.

The blaze broke out on Wednesday evening in the Mouchak Telirchala area of the Upazila when a gas cylinder exploded.

A member of the family in the house where the incident occurred had left a warm, leaking gas cylinder wrapped in a wet cloth outside, according to witnesses and victims. Curious, many locals had gone to see what it was. None of them had understood that gas had leaked from the cylinder and had spread throughout the area.

When a stove was lit at a nearby house, it sparked a fire throughout the area, burning many people.

The 32 people with serious burn injuries were then brought to the burn institute in Dhaka that night.

On Friday, 45-year-old Solaiman Molla – who had burns on 95 percent of his body – succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment. On Saturday, 45-year-old Mansur also died. Doctors said the entirety of his body had been burnt.