Two workers burnt in Gazipur factory explosion

Two workers have been burnt in a fire sparked by a machine explosion at a factory in Kaliakair upazila of Gazipur district.

The incident occurred on Friday evening at Madina Polymer Industries Ltd's unit in the Upazila's Board Mill area, according to Monir Hossain, a firefighter from the Kaliakair Fire Service.

The injured men, identified as 18-year-old Babul Hossain and 23-year-old Robiul Islam, are now being treated at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka, reports bdnews24.com.

Workers at the factory said they had been making water tanks when, around 5:30 pm, a machine suddenly exploded and caught fire, leaving the two men burnt.

Co-workers initially rescued the injured men and took them to the private Modern Hospital in Safipur. Doctors there later referred them to the national burn institute for specialised treatment.

“About 45 per cent of Babul’s body and 15 per cent of Robiul’s body have been burnt,” said Dr Tania Akter of Modern Hospital. “We provided initial treatment and then referred them to Dhaka.”

Ariful Islam, an administrative officer at Madina Polymer Industries, said the accident occurred when a water tank manufacturing machine became excessively hot and exploded.

Firefighter Monir Hossain added that by the time Fire Service personnel reached the factory, workers had already managed to extinguish the flames.