Death toll hits 19 as rescuers find two more bodies

Staff Reporter :
The death toll in the explosion at a seven-storey building in Dhaka’s Phulbaria area of Gulistan has risen to 19.
Rescuers pulled out two more bodies from under the rubble of the collapsed building on Wednesday, taking the death toll from the blast to 19.
The bodies were taken to Dhaka Medical College morgue in the afternoon.
Relatives have identified the bodies as shop owner Momin Uddin Sumon and shop staff Md Robin Hossain.
The names of other deceased are: Md Ishak Mridha, Md Munsur Hossain, Md Ismail, Md Al Amin, Md Rahat Hossain, Mominul Islam, Nodi Begum, Md Maeen Uddin, Nazmul Hossain, Obaidul Hasan Babul, Abu Jafar Siddiq, Akuti Begum, Md Idris Mir, Nurul Islam Bhuyan, Md Hridoy and Md Samrat Mohammad Siam.
 “We have handed over 16 bodies to their families yesterday. Another body was reportedly taken away by the relatives from the morgue. Two more bodies were handed over today,” Mohammad Mominur Rahman, deputy commissioner of Dhaka, said in a media briefing on Wednesday evening.
The official death toll is 19 so far, he said.
He said that the district administration opened a control room in front of the emergency unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
The district administration provided Tk50,000 each to the families of those who died in the incident. While the seriously injured were given Tk25,000 each and minor injured people were given Tk10,000-Tk15,000 each.
The DC also informed that 10 injured are currently undergoing treatment at DMC while 12 are at the burn unit.
He said three people are still missing.
The rescue operation ended for today and it will resume tomorrow, he added.
A total of 11 firefighting units worked at the scene Wednesday. Members of the Bangladesh Army have joined yesterday’s rescue efforts as well.
Meanwhile, more than 50 injured people are undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH). Of them, some are in critical condition, said Bachchu Miah, In-charge of DMCH police camp on Wednesday.
Dr Samantalal Sen, chief of Sheikh Hasina Burn Institute, said that, four of them are on life support, all are critical, burnt patients need time to get cured. Three are in ICU, others are at death risk, as they are more than 85 per cent burnt.
11 critically injured are getting treatment in Sheikh Hasina Burn Institute, 20 are in DMCH, 170 were discharged from hospital after treatment, said a doctor on Wednesday.
Most of their bodies were burnt. Two of the victims have been kept at the ICU of the hospital, he added.
Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan has said the authorities have been conducting necessary tests to know the actual reason behind the blast in the capital’s Siddique Bazar area, and they would be able to reach a decision once the tests are completed.
He came up with the statement while talking to reporters after visiting the blast site on Wednesday noon.
The home boss said the building turned into a risky installation after the explosion. The basement and ground floor have particularly suffered massive damages.
The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) said that the building damaged by the explosion in Siddiqbazar of the capital is 45 years old.
However, due to public holidays, the organization has not yet found the documents of the building. Rajuk Director (Zone-5) Hamidul Islam came to visit the scene and gave this information on Wednesday afternoon. The agency has already formed a five-member committee to investigate the incident.
Meanwhile, authorities are still in the dark about the origin of the explosion.
The elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) suspects that gas accumulated in the basement of the seven-storey biulding may have caused the explosion.
RAB bomb disposal unit Chief Major Mashiur Rahman said this while talking to the media on Wednesday after visiting the spot.
On the other hand, the bomb disposal team of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of the police suspects that about five possible reasons for the blast in Siddiqbazar. Five possible causes are: 1. Gassing from water tanks under the building; 2. There was a septic tank between the two buildings from which gas could be released; 3. Gas may accumulate from a gas line that breaks or methane gas may accumulate in the wall; 4. Sewage line pipes can leak gas, and 5. large generators in buildings can also accumulate gas in some way.
Meanwhile, two committees have been formed to investigate the explosion. Fire Service and Civil Defence has formed a four-member inquiry committee which will lodge a report within the next five working days.
A national committee consisting of experts from Rajuk, City Corporation, Titas, WASA, and the Bangladesh Army has been formed to conduct an extensive probe into the incident.
The explosion occurred on the ground floor of the seven-storey building at Siddique Bazar of Phulbaria of the Capital at about 4:50 p.m. on Tuesday. Eleven firefighting units were rushed to douse the blaze.