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Published : 27 Jun 2021, 09:09 PM
At least seven people were killed in the incident, which rocked the Wireless Gate area around 7:30 pm on Sunday. Hundreds, including many pedestrians and commuters, are being treated for their injuries at different hospitals in the capital.
The blast is believed to have been caused by a gas leak somewhere in the building. Police have ruled out any foul play behind the incident.
Mangled pillars, glass shards and broken concrete were all over 79 Outer Circular Road. Two heavily damaged buses were left in a heap outside the three-storey building, witnesses said.
The ground floor of the building housed outlets of Shawarma House restaurant chain and Bengal Meat. Singer has its showroom on the second floor.
Aarong has an outlet opposite the collapsed building. Broken glass walls of some buildings, including that of Aarong, littered the road.
The building, which is believed to be the scene of the explosion, has a three-storey facade but an additional floor can be seen at the back.
A bus on the road was badly damaged by a blast in Moghbazar's Wireless Gate area on Sunday, Jun 27, 2021.
"We have received information so far that seven people have been killed in the incident," Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Shafiqul Islam said.
However, Director General of Fire Service (DG) Brig Gen Sazzad Hussain put the death count at three while speaking to reporters at the scene.
Later, Ramna Police OC Monirul Islam put the death toll at six. He cited the death of one person at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, three at the burns unit, one at Ad-din Hospital and another at Community Medical College Hospital.
Most of the injured have been admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Sheikh Hasina Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute and Moghbazar's Community Medical College Hospital.
Two, including a child, died at Community Hospital after the incident, according to a reporter’s account from the scene. A child was among the dead.
Meanwhile, two others, both men, passed away at the burns institute, according to Inspector Bachchu Mia, in charge of the police camp at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Four or five of the victims were in “critical” condition, he added.
Samanta Lal Sen, the convener of the burns unit, said, "Four of the injured suffered burns in different parts of their bodies. Two were found dead.”
Another patient at the unit named Swapan,35, passed away around 10 pm.
As many as 41 people have been admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Among them, a woman named Jannat, 25, succumbed to her injuries, Bachchu Miah said.
'Nahid' was on his way home to Khilgaon in a bus when fragments from the building struck his head during the explosion.
He was subsequently taken to the hospital but was released after receiving first aid.
Another bus passenger named Sajjad also received care at DMCH.
Debashish Bardhan, a deputy director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, said some rescuers reached the site, while others were on their way on hearing that several people were trapped inside a collapsed building.
The ground floor of a nearby building is damaged following the blast in Mohakhali’s Wireless Gate area on Sunday, Jun 27, 2021.
Sheikh Adul Jalil, principal of Oriental International School, lives right behind the damaged building.
“The whole building shook. The windows of the house were shattered. It felt like a terrible earthquake."
"I rushed down the stairs and watched shards of glass shatter in the building next door. It was dark as dust covered the building.”
Rafiqul Islam, the owner of Maitri Nursing Home, lives on the ground floor of the same building. He was sitting in his room at the time of the incident.
“I have never seen such a terrifying scene in my life. I heard the sound of a huge explosion as the entire building started shaking. All the glass in my room came crashing down. I ran out and saw an even more frightening scene. Someone's hands were hanging out while another's feet were covered in blood.”
Rafiqul said work was underway to dig the ground and install pipes in front of the building where the blast took place. "The area was filled with mud and there I saw seven or eight people in a bloodied state."
WHAT TRIGGERED THE EXPLOSION?
The cause of the explosion was not clear immediately. But the fire service suspects a gas leak caused the blast.
Some locals believe it was caused by a power transformer blast, while some others said the explosion occurred inside a building.
However, the Dhaka Power Distribution Company, or DPDC, said the explosion had not been triggered by an electrical line.
"Our people went to the spot immediately after the accident. We have confirmed that the explosion did not occur due to any electrical connection," said DPDC's Managing Director Bikash Dewan.
"I've heard that the situation is very dire. DPDC personnel are also working with the rescue team there."
Fire Service Deputy Director Bardhan said a fridge in the outlets might have caused the blast.
Arifur Rahman, a shopkeeper in the Wireless Gate area, said many residents rushed to safety in panic on hearing a loud bang around 7:30 pm.
The police closed the area after the incident.
“The blast occurred on the ground floor of the three-storey building. Many refrigerators were stored there, so it could be the source of the blast,” Deputy Director Bardhan told bdnews24.com.
After inspecting the site, the DG of Fire Service said the authorities suspect the explosion may have been triggered by 'gas accumulation'. But the cause of the incident will be clear after an investigation, he said.
Commissioner Shafiqul echoed his suspicions. “I’ve gathered from the fire service personnel that gas had accumulated here. Seven buildings were damaged while two buses were obliterated by the blast.”
On the odds of the incident being deliberate, he said, “It doesn’t look like that to me. If that was the case or had a bomb been exploded, people would’ve been ravaged by splinters. You can see from the cars, buses around, there’s no sign of splinters on them. So we can deduce, it was not caused by a bomb, but by gases.”
HUNDREDS INJURED
At least 400 people injured in the blast and collapse of a building in Moghbazar have been treated across five hospitals in Dhaka.
Many of them were treated with first aid while the gravely wounded were kept under observation at the hospitals.
The victims were rushed to nearby Dhaka Community Medical College and Hospital, Ad-Din Women's Medical College Hospital and Holy Family Red Crescent Hospital.
The severely injured were sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
A walk away from the site, Dhaka Community hospital treated almost 300 victims.
Another 40-50 people were rushed to Ad-Din Hospital, and another 10 victims were treated in Holy Family hospital.
As many as 17 people were transferred to Sheikh Hasina burn institute and 44 others were treated at DMCH.
