11 people have been burnt to death in a fire and explosion at a mosque in Narayanganj. 26 people injured in the incident are still in critical condition.
Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute Coordinator Dr. Samanta Lal Sen confirmed the news of their death on Saturday morning after an explosion at a mosque in Narayanganj on Friday night.
Earlier, confirmed the news of the death of a child, said the coordinator of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery Samanta Lal Sen. He said the name of the 8-year-old child was Jewel.
At the end of the prayers of Esha yesterday, while many of the worshipers were performing the sunnat prayers, there was a sudden explosion of gas in the 6 air-conditioners of the mosque. Earlier, there were allegations of gas leaking from a gas pipe in the mosque.
Panic spread among the worshipers after the fire and explosion. Many people try to get out in a hurry.People around helped all the victim.By that time most of the worshipers were burnt.
The tragic incident took place at Baitus Salam Jame Mosque on the west floor of Fatulla in Narayanganj Sadar Upazila around 9:15 pm on Friday. The condition of most of the burnt devotees is critical. 38 people were admitted in Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. The condition of all of them is alarming, said the coordinator of the institute Samanta Lal Sen. He later confirmed the deaths of 11 of them.
According to the Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, 60-70 percent of the burn victims were burnt.
It is learned that there were about 40 to 50 worshipers in the mosque. There was no electricity in the mosque at that time. The AC exploded shortly after the power came on. Then the electricity went off in the mosque.
According to locals, the worshipers came out of the mosque screaming. They tried to put out the fire by rolling in the rain water that had accumulated on the road around the mosque.
Arefin, deputy assistant director of the fire service, said two units of the fire service arrived at the scene and rescued nine people and took them to hospital. Earlier, locals rushed most of the burnt people to the hospital. The condition of the burn victims was so bad that their bodies could not be touched.
Nazmul Hossain, a doctor at the emergency department of the 100-bed hospital in Narayanganj, said one burnt worshiper after another was coming from 9:00 pm. The names of all of them were not recorded. 70 to 75 percent of the bodies of those who came have been burnt. They were rushed to Dhaka with first aid. He added that out of the 20 to 25 people who came, some of them had burns up to 99 percent.
The mosque has four floors. The congregation is up to the third floor. Some parts of the fourth floor mess. Going there after the incident, it was seen that the ceiling fans were bent in the explosion. The window glass is broken and shattered. Shawn, a tenant at the mosque’s mess hall, said fire and black smoke spread to the fourth floor at the sound of a loud explosion.
The gas line went through the floor of the mosque. Fire service members were splashing water and gas bubbles were coming out. Fatullah Model Police Station OC Aslam Hossain said the blast was probably due to a gas leak. There is a Titus gas line under the mosque. And since the whole mosque is closed in Thai glass, such a situation may arise.
Later from Dhaka, Director of Fire Service and Civil Defense (Operations and Maintenance) Lt. A. Zillur Rahman visited the spot. He told reporters the mosque was enclosed in Thai glass. Gas was accumulating from the leakage of the gas pipe going through the bottom. This is probably the reason for the explosion. He said other possible reasons were also being investigated.
News Room, September 05,2020