11 of a family burnt in gas cylinder blast

At least 11 family members, including four children, suffered burn injuries in a gas cylinder explosion in Ashulia on Friday night.

The incident occurred around 9:30pm on the second floor of a two-storey building owned by Amjad Bepari in the Gomail area of Ashulia, Savar.

The victims are Zahura Begum, 70, Surjo Banu, 55, Md Monir Hossain, 43, Sohel, 38, Sumon Mia, 30, Shiuli Akhter, 25, Sharmin, 25, Chamin Mahmud, 12, Mahadi, 7, Swad, 4, and Suraya, 3.

Locals and eyewitnesses said garment worker Sumon lives in a rented flat on the second floor with his wife and two children. Relatives had gathered at Sumon's home on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat. While making rice cakes (pitha) on the occasion, a gas cylinder exploded, engulfing the entire flat in flames.

Injured Sohel said, "I went to visit my brother Sumon's house with my family. While making pitha, the cylinder suddenly exploded, setting the house on fire. Our entire family suffered burns."

Harun Ur Rashid, manager of Women and Children's Hospital in Ashulia, told The Daily Star, "Eleven burn patients arrived at our hospital around 10:30pm. Four of them are children. After receiving primary treatment, they were transferred to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital."