Last survivor of Narayanganj gas explosion dies

The last surviving member of a family of five injured in a gas leak explosion in Fatullah of Narayanganj has died, completing a tragic sequence of deaths over five days.

Sayema Akhter, 30, died around 9:00am on Friday (May 15) at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka, confirmed Resident Surgeon Dr Shawon Bin Rahman.

He said she had sustained around 60 per cent burns, including airway injuries, and had been receiving treatment in the High Dependency Unit.

Her husband, Abul Kalam, 35, died earlier on Monday, while their three children also succumbed to burn injuries over the following days—Kotha, 5, on Wednesday, and Munna, 12, and Muni, 7, on Thursday.

The family was critically injured when a gas leak triggered an explosion at their rented home near Gram Bangla Tower in the Giridhara area of Fatullah around 7:00am on May 10.

Neighbours said they heard a loud blast and found flames inside the room before rescuing the victims and taking them to hospital.

Sayema’s younger brother, Md Arman, said the explosion likely took place when accumulated gas ignited as Kalam lit a matchstick while preparing to reheat food before leaving for work at a vegetable market.