At least 15 people were killed and more than 100 were injured in an explosion at a building in Bangladesh’s Dhaka, news agency AFP reported.
The blaze occurred in a crowded market area of Dhaka on Tuesday, a local fire service official said, according to news agency Reuters. The official said that the cause of the explosion was not clear. He said the death toll could rise as the rescue operation continues.
“Our officers are investigating whether it was an act of sabotage or an accident,” police commissioner Khandekar Ghulam Farooq told AFP news agency.
Local media reported that five fire units were dispatched to the scene after the blaze. The bdnews24 news portal reported that it happened around 4:50 pm (local time). Police Station Inspector Bachchu Miya said that the injured were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
All of them are being treated at the emergency unit of the hospital, he said. On the ground floor of the building there are several stores for sanitary products and a branch of BRAC Bank is located next to it.
Reports said the blast also damaged a bus parked on the opposite side of the road.
Police Inspector Bachu Miya told AFP that at least 45 people were taken to hospital for treatment.
“There are two women among the dead. The rest are injured and are being treated.
More than 100 people were treated for head wounds, fractures and other injuries at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, hospital director Najmul Islam said, according to news agency AFP.
Najmul Islam said, “At least 15 people have died, including two women.”
