Staff Reporter :
At least seven persons, including two of a family, were killed and 25 injured in a “gas pipeline explosion” at a five-storey building in Patharghata of Chattogram Port City on Sunday morning.
Of the injured, 20 people were rushed to Chattogram Medical College Hospital where doctors declared seven of them dead, said Mohammad Mohsin, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Kotwali Police Station.
Four of the deceased were identified as Noor Islam, 30, and Annie Barua, 40, Julha Begum Farzana, 32 and her son Atiqur Rahman, a student of class 2, our Chattogram correspondent reports quoting victims’ family members.
Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) police outpost Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Alauddin Talukder said, “Among the deceased, one was a child and two others were women.”
On information, firefighters rushed to the spot and rescued people who were trapped under the debris, said Purna Chandra Mutsuddi, Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) of Chattogram Fire Service and Civil Defence. The explosion occurred on the ground floor of a five-storey building, owned by Dharma Pal Barua, on Brickfield Road around 8:30am, he said.
Fire service official Purna Chandra Mutsuddi said a major portion of the ground floor was blown off in the explosion, according to him.
Among the deceased, Nur Islam was a housepainter by profession and was working in the adjacent building when the explosion took place, said his wife Sadiya Sultana.
The couple got married around two and a half years ago and have a one-year old daughter, she said.
Another deceased Annie Barua was the headmaster of Mehrani Govt Primary School and was crossing the street when the gas pipeline exploded, resulting in her death, Annie Barua’s father Engineer Palash Barua.
After visiting the spot, Taffazzal Hossain, Inspector of Explosives Department, said, “The gas riser has become old and it can be a reason behind the gas pipeline leak”.
However, ANM Salah, General Manager (Marketing) of Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited (KGDL) said that no evidence of gas pipeline leak was found at the house.
“The gas oven and the gas riser are fine. If the incident had occurred due to gas pipeline leak, the gas oven and gas riser would have been damaged also,” he said after visiting the scene.
“The incident might take place due to some other reasons. We can confirm the reason after investigation,” he said.
Meanwhile, two probe committees have been formed over the gas pipeline explosion in Chattogram, said Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Md Ilias Hossain.
He said, “A five member committee has been formed with Chattogram Additional District Magistrate (ADM) AZM Shariful Islam as head. The committee will submit the report within seven working days.”
The other members of the committee includes the OC of Kotwali Police Station, a member of Chittagong Fire Service, an employee of Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company and a representative of the city corporation.
Police also has formed a three member committee with Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Deputy Commissioner (South) Mehedi Hasan as head.
The other members of the committee are CMP’s Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Manjur Morshed and Assistant Commissioner (Kotwali zone) Nobel Chakma. The committee has been asked to submit the report as soon as possible.
Mayor of Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) AJM Nasir Uddin and Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Elias Hossain announced compensation of money to the victims families.
The authorities of the CCC and DC offices will jointly provide Tk 20,000 to the families of the deceased immediately, they said.
