A man, his wife, and their daughter sustained severe burn injuries in a gas explosion triggered by a leak while lighting a mosquito coil at their home in Dhaka’s Jatrabari around 1:45 am on Thursday.
The victims have been identified as Md Ripon, 40, his wife Iti Akter, 35, and their four-year-old daughter Rafia.
They were rescued and admitted to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
Taslima Moni, who brought them to the hospital, said the explosion occurred on the ground floor of a six-storey building located in a lane near Khademul Quran Women`s Madrasa on Shaheed Farooq Road. She said the blast was triggered when a mosquito coil was lit, igniting leaked gas from a pipeline.
Shawon Bin Rahman, Resident Medical Officer of the institute, said all three victims suffered serious burns. “Ripon sustained burns on 70 percent of his body, Iti Akter on 45 percent, and Rafia on 90 percent,” he said.
He added that their respiratory tracts were also damaged by the fire. Ripon and his wife have been admitted to the High-Dependency Unit (HDU), while their daughter is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). All three remain in critical condition.