Two women died and two more people sustained severe burn injuries in a gas pipeline explosion in Araihazar upazila of Narayanganj early Saturday.
The deceased are Saima Akter, 40, and Hasina Mamtaj, 55.
On the other hand, burnt are Sohan Talukdar, 45, and Kanij Khadia Nipa, 35. Of them Saima was the wife of Sohan and Hasina was the mother of Nipa.
Sohan’s nephew Fahim Mollah said his maternal uncle, a garment worker by profession, was living with his wife Saima on the third floor of a building by Araihazar Barar.
Nipa was also living in another flat on the same floor and her mother Mamtaj came to visit her a few days back, he said.
A blast with a big bang was heard from the building around 12am and he rushed to the spot after hearing the news, Fahim said.
Later, the injured were first taken to Upazila Health Complex and subsequently shifted to Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Surgery in Dhaka, he said.
Dr Tarikkul Islam, a physician of the Burnt Institute, said Mamtaj and Saima, who received 90 per cent burn each, succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment.
Of them, Mamtaj died in the morning and Saima at noon, he said, adding that Sohan and Nipa were undergoing treatment with 10 and 55 per cent burn injuries respectively.
Fakhruddin, deputy director of Narayanganj Fire Service and Civil Defence Department, said the blast occurred from an illegal gas supply line at the west flat of the house of one Sanaullah Miah.
