Five dead bodies found at Sitakunda blast site

At least five people have died in an explosion at an oxygen plant in Chattogram’s Sitakunda.

Shahadat Hossain, chief executive of the Sitakunda Upazila administration, said the blast occurred at the private facility in Sonaichhari near the Dhaka-Chattogam Highway around 4:30 pm on Saturday, reports bdnews24.com.

The Fire Service and Civil Defence, the police and Upazila administration officials rushed to the site after the incident, he said.

Ashraful Alam, an assistant commissioner, said in the evening that the rescuers found five bodies from the site of the blast.

The death toll is expected to rise as the rescue operation continues.

The explosion damaged the entire plant. Smoke billowing from the factory could be seen from far away.

Some onlookers said they saw body parts severed by the blast at the site.

Around 15 people injured in the blast were taken to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, said Alauddin Talukder, an assistant sub-inspector at the hospital’s police camp.