At least 11 workers suffered burn injuries in a gas cylinder explosion during welding work at a salt factory in Boalkhali upazila on Thursday, police and hospital sources said.
Ten of the injured were admitted to the burn unit of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH), while another received treatment at Boalkhali Upazila Health Complex.
The injured were identified as Didarul Alam, 32, Ujjal Das, 53, Mohammad Liton, 28, Sirajul Islam, 34, Jahidul Alam, 42, Mohammad Jahid Hossain, 38, Noor Nabi, 25, Mohammad Alam, 45, Mahmudul Haque, 45, Selim Uddin, 30, and Ahsanul Haque, 45.
Alauddin Majumder, sub-inspector in charge of the police outpost at Chittagong Medical College Hospital, said the injured workers were brought to the hospital at around 11:00am after the explosion at the factory.
According to the workers, the gas cylinder exploded suddenly while welding work was underway, he said. The attending physician at CMCH said six of the injured were in critical condition.
Dr. Farzana, the physician on duty at Boalkhali Upazila Health Complex, said Ahsanul Haque received primary treatment there.
The explosion occurred at around 10:00am at the Confidence Salt factory in West Gomdandi under Ward No. 8 of Boalkhali municipality, according to local sources.
Mohammad Azahar, an officer of the Boalkhali Fire Service and Civil Defence station, said firefighters rushed to the scene but were informed on arrival that the fire had already been extinguished.
Boalkhali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mozaffar Hossain said the explosion reportedly occurred during welding work.
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