'Rescuers found my friend's cellphone, but not him'
Says Arif who has been at the site of the explosion looking for his friend
Among the families and friends waiting in front of the damaged building in Gulistan's Siddique Bazar is one Mohammad Arif, a resident of Puran Dhaka.
He has been at the site of the explosion since the incident occurred yesterday.
"My friend Momin Uddin Sumon's shop was on the ground floor of this building. After hearing the news of the explosion, I kept calling him. The call went through but Momin did not receive the call," Arif said.
"The mobile phone rang till 9:00pm yesterday but after that, I could not connect to his phone anymore. The rescuers recovered his mobile phone. I got my friend's mobile, but I haven't found my friend yet," said Arif expressing dismay at the situation.
Momin's father-in-law Rouf, a sanitation products factory owner, is also frantically searching for him. Rouf went to various government and private hospitals, including Dhaka Medical College Hospital, but could not trace Momin.
Momin Uddin has been running his business in this building for almost 30 years. In 2004, he got married to Rouf's daughter, and the couple have three children together.
Momin's friend Arif further said they were hoping Momin would be rescued last night but their hopes faded when Rajuk imposed restriction citing that the building was risky.
Arif also criticised Rajuk as no official turned up till 9:30am today.