2 killed in N'ganj cylinder blast

At least two people were killed and 10 others were critically injured as oxygen cylinders blasted at a re-rolling mill in Rupganj upazila of Narayanganj this afternoon.

The deceased were identified as -- Abu Jafar, 22 and Abdur Razzak, 23 -- both were workers of Ahmad re-rolling mill in Barpa area, reports our Narayanganj correspondent.

Witnesses said around 4:00pm the roof of AK Oxygen Ltd, a sister concern of Ahmad re-rolling mill, went of after a huge blast inside the factory and the place turned into wreckage.

Jafar and Razzak died on the spot, said Asaduzzaman, officer-in-charge of Rupganj Police Station.

The injured were rescued and rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Reason behind the explosion could not be known immediately, Deen Bondhu Mondol, manager of AK Oxygen Ltd, told The Daily Star.

Fire Service rushed to the spot but cannot enter into the mill as more flammable components could burst out, said Shimul Biswas, assistant deputy director of Narayanganj Fire Service and Civil Defence.

A team of experts was on their way to the Barpa for further quest for any other lives under the rubble, he added.