Gas fire in Narayanganj kills 18-month-old Sumaiya

The death toll rises to two while six others remain in critical condition

An 18-month-old child who suffered severe burns in a fire sparked by a gas leak in Narayanganj’s Siddhirganj six days ago has died, raising the death toll to two.

The child, identified by a single name as Sumaiya, succumbed to her wounds around 10:40am on Saturday while undergoing treatment at Dhaka’s National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, said Dr Shawon Bin Rahman, a resident surgeon at the emergency department.

“Sumaiya suffered burns on 44 percent of her body,” he added.

Her parents, Sohag and Rupali, both garment workers who provided only their first names, also suffered burns and remain hospitalised.

Earlier, around 1am on Saturday, another victim, 40-year-old Hannan, succumbed to his injuries.

He had suffered 45 percent burns and was receiving treatment in the high dependency unit.

“Hannan died at 1:10am. His two daughters, Samia and Jannat, are out of immediate danger, but the conditions of his wife Lucky and son Sabbir are still critical,” said his brother-in-law Anwar Hossain.

Hannan, a rickshaw puller identified by a single name, lived with his family in a rented house in Siddhirganj.

His ancestral home is in Shariatpur’s Zajira.

The fire broke out around 2:30am on Mar 3 in a tin-roofed house owned by Ibrahim Khalil in the Paschim Dhankunda area.

Eight people from two families suffered severe burns in the incident.

The injured include Hannan's his wife and garment worker Nurjahan Akhter Lucky, 30, their daughters Jannat, 3, and Samia, 9, son Sabbir, 16. The other victims are garment worker Sohag, 23, and his wife Rupali, 20. They were all rushed to the burn institute in the wake of the incident.

According to doctors, Sabbir suffered burns on 27 percent of his body, Lucky on 22 percent, Samia on 7 percent, Jannat on 3 percent, Rupali on 34 percent, and Shohag on 40 percent.

Dr Nasir Uddin from the institute said that six of the victims had suffered airway burns, putting them in critical condition. They were receiving treatment in the HDU.

Abdullah Al Arefin, deputy assistant director of Narayanganj Fire Service and Civil Defence, said that a gas line ran beneath the two-room tin-roofed house. A leakage likely caused gas to accumulate inside and a spark ignited the trapped gas, causing an explosion that triggered the fire.

“Everyone was asleep when the fire broke out. They were burnt before they even had a chance to escape,” said Anwar.