Seven people, including three children, suffered burns after a gas explosion in a tin shed in Dhaka’s Mirpur-11 early this morning (November 24).

The injured have been admitted to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.

The victims include Abdul Khalil, 40, who suffered burns to 95% of his body, his wife Ruma Akter, 32, and their three children – Hafiz Abdullah, 13, Mohammad, 10 and Ismail, 4 – as well as their neighbors Mohammad Shahjahan, 35, and his wife Swapna Akter Parvin, 25.

The blast occurred around 4:30 am in a residence in C block of Mirpur-11.

“An individual with 95% burns has little chance of survival. Among the others, four suffered burns exceeding 20%, and three of them have tracheal burns, making their condition critical,” said Dr. Shaon Bin Rahman, a physician at the residence. burn injury institute.

Family members suspect that a gas leak in the kitchen caused the explosion.

“There was probably a leak in the pipeline. The gas accumulated overnight, and when someone lit the stove early in the morning, it caused the explosion,” said a relative of the victims.

Neighbors Shahjahan and Swapna, who suffered 6% and 14% burns respectively, were also inside the adjoining house at the time of the blast.

“We woke up to the sound of an explosion and realized that our bodies were on fire. We immediately fled,” Shahjahan said.

Officials and locals have reported that the same gas line in front of the house had caught fire two days earlier, but the flames were extinguished without further action being taken.

Authorities have yet to confirm the exact cause of the explosion, but preliminary investigations indicate a pipeline leak.