Gulistan blast: 2 bodies retrieved from debris, death toll now 19

A day after a deadly explosion in a 5-storey building in Dhaka's Gulistan area, two bodies were recovered from the debris on Wednesday -- raising the death toll to 19.

The deceased were identified as Momin Uddin Sumon, 44, owner of a sanitary shop and his employee Robin Hossain Shanto, 20.

Mohammad Aktaruzzaman, deputy director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, told reporters that they recovered two bodies from the basement of the damaged building.

“The rescue operation inside the building started in the afternoon after a dog squad identified the presence of the bodies,” he said, adding that the operation was conducted with heavy equipment.

Among the injured, 11 people have been undergoing treatment at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.

The explosion occurred around 4:50pm with a big bang on Tuesday at Siddique Bazar in Gulistan.

A sanitary materials shop on the ground floor of the building, Brac Bank office on one of the other floors and an adjacent 7-storied building were damaged but no building collapsed, Sikder added.

Visiting the spot on Wednesday, Home Minister Md Asaduzzaman said, “The five-storey building has turned risky and the whole building may collapse if pressure is created on it. So rescue operation in the basement should be started after creating a stable situation”.

A four-member probe body headed by Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director of Fire Service and Civil Defense (Operation and maintenance), has been formed to investigate the explosion .

The committee was asked to submit its report within five working days, said Shahjahan Sikder, Deputy Additional Director of Fire service and Civil Defense headquarters media cell.