Siddhirganj house explosion death toll climbs to 7

With the death of another burn victim, Asma Begum, 35, the death toll from Narayanganj’s Siddhirganj house explosion has climbed to seven.

Asma died while undergoing treatment at the ICU of the National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute around 11:30 pm on Friday, said The hospital's resident surgeon Dr. Sultan Mahmud Sikder.

Asma's husband Tanjil Hossain Tanju, who also got burns in the explosion, said: "My wife Asma Begum and our daughter lost their lives in the explosion caused by the leakage of Titas gas. My sister-in-law Salma Begum, her husband Hasan Gazi, her children Jannat and Rayyan Gazi, and mother-in-law Tahera Begum also lost their lives. I demand a fair investigation into this incident."

He further said that Asma Begum's body will be taken to Chakbadan village in Phulpur of Mymensingh. Asma will be buried next to her daughter Tisha's grave.

On August 22, the explosion occurred at a tin-shed house in Painaadi Purba Para, leaving at least nine people from two adjacent houses burned. Eight of them were taken to the burn institute.

Of the victims, currently, two children - Muntaha,11, and Arafat Hossain, 12- are undergoing treatment in the hospital. Muntaha lost four people including her father, mother and siblings in the explosion. And Arafat Hossain lost his mother and elder sister, but his father was in Gazipur that night and survived.

Fire Service officials initially suggested the blaze was triggered by a refrigerator compressor explosion caused by a short circuit, but locals claimed the main cause was gas accumulation from a leakage in the Titas pipeline.