Gas Cylinder Pipe Leak Sparks Explosion in Tongi: Burned Couple Die, Daughter in ICU
A husband and wife who suffered burns in an explosion and fire caused by gas accumulated from a leaking cooking-gas cylinder pipe in Tongi, Gazipur city, have died. Their 16-year-old daughter remains in critical condition in an intensive care unit (ICU).
The couple died while under treatment at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka at around 8pm on Wednesday. Md Arifur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Tongi West police station, confirmed the information on Thursday.
The dead are Lal Chan Mia (60) and his wife Nasima (50). Lal Chan Mia was the son of Mannach Ali of Kuripara in Phulpur, Mymensingh, and Nasima was the daughter of Yakub Ali of the same area. The family rented a home belonging to Fakhrul Hasan, beside Master Bari in the Mudafa area of Ward 52 under Tongi West police station.
Police and local sources said that at around 7am on Wednesday, gas leaked through a hole in the pipe of the cooking cylinder used in the home and built up inside the room. At one stage the accumulated gas exploded and fire spread through the home.
Lal Chan Mia, his wife Nasima and their daughter Tanisha (16), who were inside, were severely burned in the explosion and fire. A calm morning turned within moments into panic and cries for help.
Neighbours rescued the three burn victims and admitted them to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka. Despite doctors' efforts, both husband and wife died there on Wednesday night.
Tanisha remains in hospital in critical condition. Alongside the loss of her parents, the teenager now faces her own fight for survival.
OC Md Arifur Rahman said the couple died while under treatment at the burn institute and that their daughter remains in hospital in critical condition. He said the bodies were handed over to the family after completion of legal procedures.
The incident once again points to the risks of using gas cylinders at home. Many users do not realise that gas building up from a tiny hole in a pipe can trigger such a deadly explosion.
Regularly checking cylinder pipes and connections, staying alert around stoves and electrical switches if gas is smelled, and keeping rooms ventilated are the simple precautions those concerned consider most essential to avoiding accidents of this kind.
For this family in Mudafa, Wednesday morning began like any other day — but an explosion lasting a few moments changed everything. Now every prayer is for Tanisha, in the ICU, to recover and return.
