Man burnt in Cox’s Bazar gas pump explosion dies in Dhaka hospital

The victim had relocated to his father-in-law’s home only two days before the explosion, his nephew says

A CNG-run autorickshaw driver, who was critically injured in a gas pump explosion in Cox’s Bazar’s Kolatali, has succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka.

The victim, identified as Abu Taher, breathed his last at 2:45pm on Sunday, his eldest son Md Sohel confirmed.

The explosion occurred shortly after 10pm on Wednesday at an LPG station.

Investigators initially suspected the involvement of a gas leak behind the explosion that injured at least 15 people, with 10 seriously injured.

Taher was initially rushed to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital and later shifted to Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) along with five others for advanced treatment.

CMCH doctors said Taher had sustained burns on approximately 90 percent of his body.

He was transferred to the Burn Institute in Dhaka on Friday as his health continued to decline.

Taher had moved from his original home in Teknaf’s Katabunia to his father-in-law’s residence in Kolatali just two days before the accident, his nephew Abu Bakkar Babu said.

"He went to the station after hearing news of a gas leak," Babu said.

"The sudden fire engulfed him, and after four days of fighting for his life, he is gone."

The Fire Service and Civil Defence suspect the leak originated from a technical fault during the loading or unloading of gas.