Anisul Islam Noor :One more victim who sustained severe burn injuries in a gas burner explosion at a flat in city’s Uttara area died at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) on Saturday evening. With this, the total death toll rose to three.Shahnewaz, 50, an employee at the US Embassy in Dhaka, was under treatment at the burn unit of DMCH. He succumbed to his injuries around 5:55pm Saturday, duty doctor of the hospital’s burn unit Wahed Murshed said.Along with Shahnewaz, his wife Sumaiya, 38, and their sons Sharleen, 15, Zarif, 9, and 14-month-old Zayan received burns in the incident that took place around 5:30am Friday.His two sons Sharleen and Zayan died of their injuries on Friday, hours after they were admitted to the burn unit with 88 per cent and 74 per cent burns respectively. Shahnewaz’s wife Sumaiya has been fighting for the life with 90 per cent burns. Her condition is critical, said Dr Samanta Lal Sen, chief coordinator of the DMCH’s Burn Unit.”Now we are apprehending another tragic death of Sumaiya which may occur anytime,” Shahnawaz’s brother Md Quamrul Ahasan told The New Nation on Saturday evening.He added, “She has already lost her strength to talk and see.”On Friday, Sharleen and Zayan succumbed to their injuries hours after they were admitted to the burn unit with 88 per cent and 74 per cent burns respectively. Meanwhile, the bodies of their sons Sharleen and his 14-month old Zayan were taken to their maternal grandfather’s house in Barisal on Saturday for burial. Their other child, Zarif, was released after primary treatment.Shahnewaz’s sister Armin Nishat said, “My brother got into the house at Uttara on Saturday last. Since then my sister-in-law had been complaining that she smelled of gas in the kitchen. She also told the house owner about it on several times, but he did not pay any heed to her requests.”Shahnewaz’s elder brother Moniruzzaman said Newaz’s wife Sumaiya entered the kitchen at about 6:30am on Friday and lighted the gas burner. Instantly, the fire had spread to the entire flat leaving all five of the family injured.It is learnt that Shahnewaz got into the flat on February along with his wife and children. He complained to the house owner Mirza Delwar about the smelling of gas in the kitchen and requested him to repair the gas line. As the house owner did not take necessary measures, the entire family of Shahnewaz was burnt in the fire, alleged relatives. When asked, Sub-Inspector (Investigation) of Uttara West Police Station Abdur Razzaq said, legal action would be taken against the house owner if we found any negligence on his part.Abu Sufian, a cousin of Shahnewaz, told The New Nation on Saturday evening that they would not lodge any case in connection with the incident as there is mere possibility to get justice on the issue.Meanwhile, authorities of Titas Gas Distribution Company Ltd have launched an investigation over the incident. “A team is working to find the cause of the accident”, Director Operation of Titas Engr HM Ali Ashraf told The New Nation yesterday. He said, they will also launch an awareness campaign over the issue. Earlier, the fire fighters suspected that there was a gas leak in the stove pipeline in the flat’s kitchen which led to the tragic incident. Shahnewaz moved to the Uttara apartment with his family only a few days ago, on February 20.
