No evidence of sabotage found in Science Lab building: DMP Commissioner

The partial collapse of a building following an explosion in Science Lab area that claimed three lives is not an act of sabotage but an accident, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq on Sunday.

“No evidence of sabotage was found on the spot and the explosion might have occurred for different reasons. The law enforcement agencies are investigating it,” he said while talking to reporters after visiting the spot.

“We’ll form a committee to probe the explosion and the probe body will take opinions from fire service officials and experts and submit a report,” he added.

Replying to a question about whether the law enforcers found any sign of splinter or destructive elements, the DMP chief said, “They have not found any mark of splinter or destructive elements yet.”

Three people were killed and 12 others injured when a building partially collapsed following an explosion and subsequent fire in Dhaka's Science Lab area on Sunday morning.

The deceased were identified as Tushar, Shafikuzzaman, and Abdul Mannan.

Tushar and Shafikuzzaman were computer operators, and Abdul Mannan was an office assistant in a company that has its office on the building’s second floor.

They succumbed to their injuries at Popular Medical College and Hospital, said Md Shahidullah, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of DMP’s Ramna Division.

Five of the injured identified as Ayesha Akter Asha, Hafizur Rahman, 34, Zahur Ali, 60, Akbar Ali, 52 and Syed Ashrafuzzaman, 35.

Of them, Ayesha received 38% burn injuries, Hafizur eight percent, Zahur with 44 percent, Akbar with 37% and Ashrafuzzaman received six percent injuries. They were taken to burn unit of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.

Nine others injured are receiving treatment at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.

They are Nurunnabi, 27, Tajuddin, 35, Mehedi Hasan, 25, Zakir Hossain Jewel, 26, Kamal, 40, Kabir Hossain, 25, Rabeya Khatun, 23 and Tamanna, 22 and an unidentified man aged about 25.

The three-storey building collapsed partially after the explosion at around 10:52 am that also triggered a fire.

Anwarul Islam, from Fire Service and Civil Defense Headquarters Media Cell, said that four units of fire service were working on the spot.

The fire was brought under control at around 11:13 a.m.