Six of a family burnt in blast at N’ganj flat

Six members of a family, including two children, were burnt in an explosion in their flat in Narayanganj city early yesterday.

There was a sudden explosion around 12:30am in the flat, on the sixth floor of a six-storey building in Kashem Nagar of Masdai area, said Abdullah Arefin, deputy assistant director of Narayanganj fire service.

The injured are Mishal (26), his wife Mita Begum (23), their one-and-a-half-year old son Minhaj, daughter Afsana (5), and relatives Mahfuz (13) and Sabbir (15).

They were taken to Narayanganj General Hospital first. Later, they were shifted to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital in critical conditions, said Arefin.

"Pillows, mattresses and clothes were burnt in the fire. The flat's doors and windows were shattered in the blast," he said, adding, "We're investigating the incident."

Asaduzzaman, resident medical officer of Narayanganj General Hospital, said more than 50 percent of their bodies have been burnt.