Jahangir, burnt in Ashulia gas fire, dies of wounds

Jahangir Alam, who suffered critical burn injuries when gas accumulating in the kitchen of his home in Dhaka’s Ashulia detonated and sparked a fire, has died of his wounds. His wife and daughter are still in critical condition from their own injuries in the fire.

Jahangir, 32, died early on Monday morning at the National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute in Dhaka, according to Shawon Bin Rahman, a resident doctor at the hospital’s emergency department.

“Jahangir died overnight. He had suffered burns on 91 percent of his body.”

A gas explosion occurred around 6:30am on Sunday in the house in Ashulia's Kathgora area when the stove was lit for cooking, Shawon had previously said, citing relatives of the injured. The incident left the three victims in critical condition. Jahangir’s wife Beauty, 28, suffered burns on 33 percent of her body, while their daughter Toa, 5, suffered burns on 80 percent of her body.

They were rushed to the hospital with injuries on Sunday.

"All of them have suffered injuries to their respiratory tracts, making their condition critical," Shawon had said after they were admitted.

Jahangir and his family lived on the first floor of a house owned by Shohag Mondal in Kathgora's Chala Bazar area, according to locals.

6 BURNT IN HEMAYATPUR FIRE ADMITTED TO BURN UNIT

Meanwhile, six people, including a child, have been admitted to the National Burn Institute after a fire sparked from a leaking gas cylinder in Savar’s Hemayatpur left seven people with burn injuries on Sunday evening.

The injured had initially been admitted to the Enam Medical College Hospital in Savar.

Yusuf Ali, manager at the hospital, said: “Seven people with burn injuries were admitted to the hospital’s burn unit. They were given treatment there.”

Six of them were later transferred to the National Burn Institute.

A local witness named Akash said a fire sparked from a leaking gas cylinder at the one-storey home of Nayeb Ali in the Naliasur area on Sunday evening.

The victims were identified as Nayeb’s wife Amena Begum, 60, Shilpi Akhter 35, her son Shojib, 7, Jishan, 20, Sujat Molla, 26, Solaiman, 14, and Halima Begum, 42.

Shawon said that Amena, Sujat, Halima, Jishan, Shilpi and Shojib had been admitted to the burn institute from midnight on Sunday to Monday morning.

“Three of them are in critical condition. One has burns on 60 percent of the body, another 41 percent, and the third 40 percent.

Akash and other witnesses say that Amena had locked the house and left home in the evening when the tenants living next door called her phone to inform her that the gas cylinder inside was leaking. Amena instructed them to break down the door and the neighbours began to do so using hammers. Amena rushed home and opened the door with her keys when a stray spark from a hammer hitting the iron on the door ignited the gas.