Child Snigdha dies a month after Chattogram house explosion

Ten-year-old Snigdha, one of the three children who had been hospitalised following an explosion at a house in Halishahar, Chattogram, has died. She passed away around 2:00 am on Wednesday, March 25, at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka after nearly a month of treatment.

With her death, the total number of fatalities from the incident has risen to seven. No members of householder Shakhawat's family now remain alive.

Dr Shaon Bin Rahman, Assistant Professor at the National Burn Institute, said Snigdha had sustained burns to 30 per cent of her body. She died due to multiple organ failure.

Ayesha, 4, and Farhan Ahmed Anash, 6, children of Shakhawat's younger brother Samir Ahmed, remain in critical condition. Anash has 30 per cent burns and Ayesha has 45 per cent.

Shakhawat Hossain, a garage owner by profession, lived with his family in a rented flat on the third floor of a building called Halima Manjil in Halishahar's H Block. His younger brother Samir had moved in with his family for medical treatment.

In the early hours of February 23, during Ramadan, an explosion followed by fire broke out in the flat. Neighbours said residents came out of the flat one by one with their bodies on fire.

A total of nine people were burnt in the incident. Shakhawat's wife Nurjahan Akhtar Rani, 40, died on the day of the incident while being taken to Dhaka for advanced treatment. The following day, on February 24, Shakhawat's 16-year-old son Shaown died at the Burn Institute around 7:00 am. Shakhawat's younger brother Samir Ahmed, 40, died around 12:00 pm that day. Within hours, Samir's wife Ashura Akhtar Pakhi, 30, died around 10:45 pm. Shakhawat himself died on the morning of February 25.

On February 28, another younger brother of Shakhawat, Shipon Hossain, died, leaving only the three children alive from the family. Now Snigdha has also passed away.