Explosion at Keraniganj madrasa injures four

An explosion ripped through a madrasa in the Hasnabad area of South Keraniganj, Dhaka, on Friday morning, injuring four people, including a woman and two children, police said.

The blast occurred around 10:30 am at a single-storey building of Ummal Qura International Madrasa, blowing off the walls of two rooms on the western side. Witnesses and police reported finding cocktails, chemicals and various bomb-making materials at the scene, as per local media reports.

Officer-in-Charge Saiful Alam of South Keraniganj Police Station said a bomb disposal unit and a crime scene team were working at the site to determine the cause of the explosion. A general diary has been filed, and the operation was ongoing.

Those injured were madrasa director Sheikh Al Amin, 32, his wife Asia Begum, 28, and their sons Umayet, 10, and Abdullah, 7. Asia and the children were later referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Residents said the madrasa was closed due to the weekly holiday, preventing greater casualties.