Five more die in hospital

Five people, who suffered severe burns in a cylinder explosion at a CNG filling station in Manikganj on Monday, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Enam Medical College and Hospital in Savar yesterday, raising the death toll to six in two days.

With 85 to 95 percent burns, four of the victims succumbed to their injuries yesterday afternoon at the DMCH burn unit, said Partha Sankar Paul, resident medical officer of the burn unit.

The deceased are filling station manager Shamsul Haque Masum, 48, its worker Delwar Hossain, 40, BRTC bus driver Nurul Islam Lebu, 35, and CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver Shamim Hossain Pakhi, 35.

All of them sustained inhalation injuries, added Partha.

Meanwhile, Arshad Ali, 43, a CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver, died at Enam medical college around 3:00pm, our Manikganj correspondent reported quoting the victim's family members.

A cylinder of Rumi CNG Filling Station on Dhaka-Aricha highway in Shibalaya upazila exploded around 4:00pm on Monday, leaving 55-year-old Helal Uddin, an employee of the filling station, dead on the spot.

At least six people were wounded severely in the explosion.

The filling station, owned by one Abdur Rahim, caught fire by the impact of the explosion. Two fire-fighting units from adjoining areas rushed to the spot and doused the blaze after a half-an-hour effort.

Of the deceased, Lebu, Shamim and Arshad entered the station to refuel their vehicles.

The wounded were first whisked off to Manikganj Sadar Hospital and later shifted to DMCH and Enam medical college hospital.

The only remaining victim Salauddin, a BRTC bus driver, with 66 percent burns was fighting for his life at the DMCH burn unit, hospital sources said.