At least 17 people have been killed and 140 injured in an explosion in an office building in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, officials have said.
The explosion shook the fourth and fifth floors of a five-storey building in a busy commercial area of Dhaka.
“At least 17 people have died, including two women,” Bacchu Mia, a police official at the state-run Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Mia said more than 140 had been brought to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
DMCH Director Brig Gen Nazmul Haque told reporters, that it was a massive explosion. “We are trying our best to help the injured and their relatives,” he said.
More than 112 people were treated for head wounds, fractures and other injuries at DMCH.
Rescuers got to the scene within minutes of the blast but the extent of the damage hampered their efforts to reach the people stuck inside, according to Fire Department Chief Brigadier General Main Uddin.
Authorities could not immediately provide the reason behind the huge explosion in the bustling commercial area. But some reports suggested that the explosion was caused by accumulated gas in the building.
Kamal Uddin Ahmed, chairman of the National Human Right Commission, has urged the government to find out whether the cause of the explosion in Gulistan was a case of sabotage or an accident.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq has said the incident of the explosion appears to be an accident and not an act of sabotage. “Primarily we are suspecting that it is an accident. Different units are working to find out whether it was sabotage. So far, no evidence of sabotage was found at the spot till now” he said. Law enforcement agencies continue to investigate the incident.
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed profound shock and sorrow at the number of casualties and asked authorities concerned to take prompt and necessary measures to ensure better treatment of the injured.
Bangladesh government has announced compensation for each family. The family of the deceased will receive Tk50,000 and each family of the wounded will get Tk 25,000.