Gas Leak Explosion in Tongi Leaves Three of One Family Critically Burned
Three members of the same family have been burned in an explosion caused by gas that had accumulated from a leaking cylinder in Tongi, Gazipur. Doctors say all of them are in critical condition.
The accident happened at around 6am on Wednesday in an area adjoining Cherag Ali Market under Tongi West Police Station. After the explosion, the injured were rescued and admitted to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka.
The burned are Lalchan (60), Nasima (50) and Tanisa (16). With three people from three generations of one family fighting for their lives at once, an atmosphere of grief and anxiety has taken hold in the area.
Dr Sultan Mahmud Shikdar, resident surgeon at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, confirmed the condition of the injured. According to him, 95 percent of Lalchan's body has been burned.
Tanisa has burns over 86 percent of her body and Nasima over 85 percent. The resident surgeon said their condition is extremely critical because the majority of their bodies have been burned.
Doctors at the hospital are making every effort to save the three. They are being treated in the emergency department and other necessary units of the hospital.
The initial assumption is that gas had built up inside the home from a cylinder leak and ignited, causing the explosion. The early-morning accident has once again brought the risks of using gas in homes to the fore.
Explosions and fires from leaking LPG cylinders in homes occur in the country from time to time. When gas accumulates in a closed room, even slight contact with a flame can make it take a terrible form.
Exactly how the fire started in the Tongi incident and what the circumstances were before the explosion are not yet known in detail. The specific cause will become clear only after the accident is investigated.
Given the ages of the three patients and the extent of their burns, the doctors' fight is an extremely difficult one. Patients with burns over more than 85 percent of the body face risks of infection and many other complications, so every hour is crucial.
The disaster that has befallen the family has drawn sympathy and concern among local people. All eyes are now on the progress of the injured patients' treatment.
The outcome of this accident will depend on how the patients' physical condition develops over the coming hours. An updated picture will be available once new information comes from the hospital.
