Blast in science lab area: Building had no fire safety system
Shirin Mansion, the three-storey commercial building in the capital's Science Lab area, where a deadly explosion took place on Sunday, lacked any fire safety features or other means of preventing a fire, said a top fire service official.
The walls and roof of the building caved in and projectiles and glass shards shot across the area after the blast on the second floor around 10:50am, killing three people and injuring at least 50 others.
There were offices of an insurance company and a stationery product supplier on the second floor.
"There was no fire safety equipment or anything that could stop a fire in the building…The second floor has been so damaged that it needs to be reconstructed," said Hafizur Rahman, deputy assistant director at Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence, who led the rescue operation at the scene on Sunday.
Fire service officials said they were yet to form a probe body over the incident.
"We primarily suspect gas accumulation to be the reason behind the blast. We are investigating it further and looking into other possible reasons," Brig Gen Md Main Uddin, director general of the fire service, said, while talking to reporters after attending an event in Mirpur yesterday.
The bomb disposal unit of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime found no sign of explosive substances but found the presence of gas at the scene.
The CTTC suspect the explosion might have originated from the office of the insurance company.
Meanwhile, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) declared the Shirin Mansion as "risky" and put up a banner, restricting entry to the building.
FIGHTING FOR THEIR LIVES
Six injured employees of the insurance company were admitted to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
Three of them -- Zahur Ali, with 44 percent burns, Ayesha Akter Asha, with 38 percent burns, and Akbar Ali, with 37 percent burns, -- are in critical condition, said Dr Samanta Lal Sen, coordinator of the hospital.
A Dhaka University student Nur Nabi, 23, on whom parts of the wall collapsed, is fighting for his life at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
"His condition is critical. We are doing our best," Dr Asit Chandra Sarkar, chief of DMCH's neurosurgery department, told The Daily Star, after conducting surgery on his head yesterday.
Meanwhile, shop owners of the building are worried.
"There were goods worth Tk 50 lakh inside my two shops. Ramadan and Eid are coming up fast. The frequent college student clashes on top of the Covid pandemic have already done enough damage to our business. Now, this is another massive blow," said Mahabub Mollick, proprietor of two shops in the market.
Shafiqul Gani Shabu, officer-in-charge of New Market Police Station, said, "As far as we've come to know, the owner of the building -- Shirin Chowdhury lives abroad. We have yet to contact her."
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