Septic tank explosion kills baby, injures 4 in Narayanganj
The explosion took place on early hours of Friday at the home of the baby’s father Tofazzal Hossain
An 8-month old baby has been killed in a septic tank explosion reportedly caused by a gas pipe leak in the Baburail area of Narayanganj.
The explosion, which took place on early hours of Friday at the home of the baby's father Tofazzal Hossain, also critically injured him, the mother and his other two children.
The four family members are undergoing treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Responding to query, Tofazzal's cousin Rakib Uddin said, "Tofazzal, 50, his wife Ferdousi Begum, 30, went to sleep on Thursday night with their three children Halima Begum, 11, Mohammad Hossain, 9, and 8-month-old Ahammad.
"Ferdousi was sleeping in one room with her three children, while Tofazzal was sleeping in another room. Around 4:45am on Friday, a large explosion in the home's septic tank caused the wall to collapse, critically injuring the five family members."
Rakib continued, "The explosion also damaged the home furniture. Local people rushed to the scene after hearing the explosion and took the family to the Narayanganj Sadar General Hospital. Then, the on-duty doctor declared the 8-month-old baby dead on arrival.
"The other four injured family members were shifted to the DMCH after their condition deteriorated. Ferdousi and her two children are currently in the ICU (intensive care unit)."
Meanwhile, people in the neighbourhood claimed that a gas pipe leak under the road is the cause behind the septic tank explosion at Tofazzal's home. Another explosion took place right beside Tofazzal's home, but no casualty has been reported.
Local resident Abu Taher told The Business Standard, "We informed the Titas Gas authorities multiple times about the gas leak issue, but no attempt to repair them has been made yet.
"These leakages sometimes cause small fires to break out when people drop lit cigarettes on the road."
Meanwhile, Narayanganj sadar model police station's Inspector Mostafizur Rahman said, "We have launched an investigation into the cause behind the explosion and action will be taken in this regard.
"The baby's body has been handed over to his relatives without autopsy, as per the request of his family members."
