6 killed, 30 injured in explosion at oxygen plant in B'desh

Dhaka, March 5

At least six people were killed and more than 30 were injured in an explosion at an oxygen plant in Kadam Rasul (Keshabpur) area of Chittagong's Sitakunda upazila in Bangladesh, police said.

Tofazzel Ahmed, Officer-in-charge of Sitakunda police station, confirmed the number of the deaths and the number of injuries while talking to IANS.

Five of the deceased were identified as Shamsul Alam, Farid, Ratan Lakhret, Md. Shahid and Md. Kader, said sources at the information centre of Chattogram Medical College Hospital.

The identity of the other deceased could not be confirmed yet. Among the six deceased, a man was killed after being hit by a metal object that fell on him at Kadamrasul Bazar, about a kilometre away from the spot.

After visiting the spot, Md. Fakhruzzaman, Chattogram Deputy Commissioner, told IANS that the injured are being treated at Chattogram Medical College Hospital. The police said no legal paper was shown from the side of the Shima Oxygen plant.

Earlier, S.M. Shafiullah, Superintendent of Police, Chattogram, said police cordoned off the oxygen plant. A blast occurred at the oxygen plant of Sheema Automatic Re-Rolling Mills Limited in Kadamrusul area, next to the Dhaka-Chattogram highway on Saturday afternoon.

On June 4,2022, a fire and explosion at the BM Container Depot in Sitakunda upazila of Chattogram claimed the lives of 51 people while more than 200 were injured and a huge quantity of import and export containers were damaged.