Dhaka: A suspected gas explosion tore through a Bangladesh mosque killing at least 17 people including a child, and 20 others suffered life-threatening burns, police said Saturday. Worshippers were at Friday evening prayers when the blast sent a ball of flames through the mosque in the central district of Narayanganj, emergency services said.
Investigators suspected a spark from an air conditioner – which came on after a power cut – set off the gas. “Leaked gas entered the mosque,” Narayanganj fire chief Abdullah Al Arefin told AFP.
“When they shut the windows and doors and switched on the air conditioners there was an electricity spark that led to the explosion inside the mosque.”
At least 17 people including a seven-year old boy, succumbed to their injuries at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery here, the Dhaka Tribune reported. About 20 victims are undergoing treatment at the hospital and are stated to be in critical condition.
In Bangladesh, safety regulations are often flouted in construction. Hundreds are killed each year in fires in the nation of 168 million people. In February last year, an inferno in Dhaka’s old quarter killed 78 people. One month later, 25 people were killed when a blaze engulfed a Dhaka office block.
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