Oxygen plant blast: Life of a man cut short by a flying metal shard

Shamsul Alam, 65, bled to death after he was struck by a piece of metal in Sitakunda

Shamsul Alam was sitting at a firewood and charcoal shop, not far from his home in Sitakunda. For him, it was just another day. But his life was cut short when a huge metal shard blown off by a blast at an industrial oxygen plant nearby landed over the shop.

The 65-year-old man was fatally injured after the shard came crashing down on him. He bled to death within hours.

The blast occurred at Sima Oxygen Limited’s plant in Chattogram’s Sitakunda, the private facility in the Kadam Rasul area of Sonaichhari near the Dhaka-Chattogam highway around 4:30 pm on Saturday, killing at least six people, including Shamsul, and injuring around 25 others.

Locals said they saw body parts strewn at the site by the huge explosion. The explosion shook houses and shattered window glass.

Photos showed the blast ripped through the metal structures of the factory and damaged the entire plant. Smoke billowing from the factory could be seen from far away.

Obaidur Mostafa, brother of Shamsul, said the victim was at the firewood shop, around 500 yards from the oxygen plant, when a large piece of metal from the factory flew over and fell on the shop.

Shamsul's wife Rehana Begum and other relatives were seen grieving at their residence in Jahanabad village, a short distance from the shop.

Maleka Siddika Kajal, the daughter of Shamsul, said the shop belonged to her uncle, Md Yusuf. Shamsul would spend his afternoon time there -- almost every day.

A three-member committee headed by Additional District Magistrate Rakib Hasan will investigate the incident, said Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Abul Bashar Mohammed Fakhruzzaman after visiting the explosion site.

The fire service said nine units of firefighters brought the flames caused by the blast under control in less than an hour.