5 workers at steel mill in Dhaka’s Demra burnt

Five workers were burnt while they were melting iron at a steel mill in Dhaka's Demra area last night.

Three of them -- Al Amin (18), Jasim Uddin (40) and Imran Hossain (23) -- are receiving treatment at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery while two others -- Junu Bepari (45) and Didar Hossain (27) -- took first aid at the hospital.

The three admitted patients were shifted to Intensive Care Unit as their condition is critical, said Partha Sanker Paul, resident surgeon of the institute.

Al Amin sustained 26 percent burns, Jasim had 20 percent burns while 40 percent of Emran's body was burnt in the incident.

The incident happened at around 12:30am when nine workers were melting iron in the factory at Konapara area. Suddenly an explosion took place inside its furnace and melting iron began to spurt, Al Amin told his relative Imdadul at the hospital.

"Like others, I then tried to run away but molten iron fell on me," Imdadul quoted Al Amin as saying.

"We were working at night the way we always do...But I cannot say what caused the explosion inside the furnace," he said.