Narayanganj gas fire victim dies

A man who suffered severe burns in a fire sparked by a gas leak in Narayanganj’s Siddhirganj six days ago has died.

The victim, identified by a single name as Hannan, 40, succumbed to his wounds around 1:00 am on Saturday, according to Shawon Bin Rahman, resident surgeon at the emergency department of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, reports bdnews24.com.

He had been admitted to the high dependency unit with burns on 45 per cent his body, he said.

“Hannan passed away [in the early hours of Saturday]. His two daughters, Samia and Jannat, are now out of immediate danger, according to doctors. However, his wife Lucky and son Sabbir remain in critical condition,” said Anwar Hossain, Hannan's brother-in-law.

Hannan, a native of Shariatpur's Zajira, had been living with his family in Siddhirganj. He was a rickshaw driver

The fire broke out around 2:30 am on Mar 3 in a tin-roofed house owned by Ibrahim Khalil in the Paschim Dhankunda area. Eight people from two families suffered severe burns in the incident.

The injured include Hannan's his wife and garment worker Nurjahan Akhter Lucky, 30, their daughters Jannat, 3, and Samia, 9, son Sabbir, 16. The other victims are garment worker Sohag, 23, his wife Rupali, 20, and their one-and-a-half-year-old daughter Sumaiya. They were all rushed to the burn institute in the wake of the incident.

According to doctors, Sabbir had burns on 27 per cent of his body, Lucky on 22 per cent, Samia on 7 per cent, Jannat on 3 per cent, Rupali on 34 per cent, Sumaiya on 44 per cent, and Shohag on 40 per cent.

Dr Nasir Uddin from the institute said that six of the victims had suffered airway burns, putting them in critical condition. They were receiving treatment in the HDU.

Abdullah Al Arefin, deputy assistant director of Narayanganj Fire Service and Civil Defence, said that a gas line ran beneath the two-room tin-roofed house. A leakage likely caused gas to accumulate inside and a spark ignited the trapped gas, causing an explosion that triggered the fire.

“Everyone was asleep when the fire broke out. They were burnt before they even had a chance to escape,” said Anwar.