Sr. Staff Reporter, Rangpur :
Explosives Directorate investigates two causes of explosion at auto gas filling station in Rangpur. While repairing leakage without completely removing LPG stored in gas tank, excessive heat and pressure are generated due to welding fire coming into contact with LPG gas.
This can cause the tank to explode. Also, the investigation has revealed that the tank can explode before effective pressure is created due to the construction of gas tank with low-quality sheet and hardware.
On Tuesday afternoon, Ashok Kumar Das, Assistant Superintendent of the Explosives Department, told reporters at his office at Ideal More that 15 people, including a worker named Selim Reza Sohag (35), who was working on repairing the tank, were injured in an explosion while welding to repair a gas tank at the Bazar LPG Autogas and Conversion Center in Rangpur city at 1:30 pm on July 19.
He visited the spot on July 19 and 20 and spoke to the injured and eyewitnesses.
The design approval (initial approval) was given on 10.08.2023 in favor of Messrs. CO Bazar LPG Autogas and Conversion Center, Owner: Md. Arifuzzaman (Arif) and Md. Faruk Ahmed (Bipul), CO Bazar, Sadar, Rangpur for the installation of a 20,000 liter capacity LPG tank by the office of the Chief Explosives Inspector, Bangladesh.
Without obtaining the final approval (license) from the Explosives Department, the LPG gas tank and other equipment have been installed and LPG has been supplied to vehicles from this autogas station for a year or more. It is to be noted that later, due to the defects observed in the inspection by the then Explosives Inspector Mr. FaridUddin Ahmed on 19.09.2024 and the failure to submit the approval and contract from the Roads and Highways Department, the final approval or license was not granted by this department.
