A gas leakage led to a devastating explosion in Dhamrai, Dhaka, leaving a young couple severely burned. They have been admitted to the National Burn Institute for treatment.
The incident occurred around 11:45 pm on Friday (February 28) in a ground-floor room of a rented house in the Kumrail area of Dhamrai Municipality. The house is owned by Kubbath Hossain.
The victims have been identified as Asif (24) and his wife Shanta (21), who were from Mirzapur, Tangail. They were living in a rented house in Kumrail, where Asif worked as a rickshaw puller and Shanta worked at a factory.
According to the fire service, police, and local residents, a sudden and powerful explosion took place in the ground-floor room of the two-story building. The blast caused an immediate fire. Moments later, the burned couple emerged from the room, their bodies severely injured. Neighbors rushed to douse the flames and assist the victims.
Preliminary investigations suggest that although the house had a connection to Titas Gas, the couple was using a gas cylinder. While the cylinder remained intact, the gas pipeline was found damaged and burned. The explosion also caused damage to several nearby rooms.
Fire service officials suspect that leaked gas accumulated in the room and ignited upon contact with a spark, leading to the explosion.
A fellow tenant, Razzab Ali, recalled, "I heard a loud bang and ran to check. I saw the fire and started helping to put it out. Soon, a man and a woman came out of the burning room with severe burns. We rushed them to the hospital in a rickshaw."
Local resident Sajib Hossain added, "As soon as I heard the explosion, I rushed over and saw smoke. When the door was opened, a woman stumbled out, badly burned. She nearly collapsed, but someone caught her. Her husband followed, his hair and skin badly scorched. Soon, more people arrived, and we started putting out the fire."
Dhamrai Fire Service leader Jahirul Islam confirmed that the injured couple had been transferred to the Burn Unit in Dhaka for treatment.
Sub-Inspector (SI) Shamim of Dhamrai Police Station said, ''When we arrived at the scene, we found the room damaged, but the victims had already been taken for treatment. We have learned that they are from Mirzapur, Tangail."
He further stated that the explosion was likely caused by a gas leakage. Authorities are continuing their investigation into the incident.
