Three members of a family, including a child, were critically injured in a gas explosion in Dhaka's Shukrabad area early today.

The incident took place around 3:30am at their rented flat near the area's Bazar Mosque. The injured, Toton, 35, a worker at Karwan Bazar fish market, his wife Nipa Akter, 24, and their three-and-a-half-year-old physically disabled son Baizid were admitted to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, according to the victims' family.

As per Nipa's mother Rehana Begum, the couple rented the ground floor of the house this month.

"My daughter called me around 5:00am today. She said their house was on fire, desperately pleading to be saved," said Rehana, adding that the house owner and their neighbours rescued the victims and took them to the hospital.

According to Toton, his wife had gone to heat water in the kitchen, unaware of the gas line leakage and that led to this mishap.

Nipa suffered 50 percent burns on her body, Toton's body has 32 percent burns while Baizid suffered 45 percent burns on his body, said Tarikul Islam, resident doctor at the institute, adding that all three victims are in critical condition at the moment.