Gulistan blast: Another body recovered from debris, death toll now 21

Two days after a deadly explosion in a 5-storey building in Gulistan's Siddique Bazar area, another body has been recovered from the debris today -- raising the death toll to 21.

The deceased was identified as Mehedi Hasan Swapan, 40, manager of a sanitary shop and son of Golam Rabbani, from Noakhali, said Shahjahan Sikder, Deputy Additional Director of Fire Service and Civil Defense headquarters' media cell.

The fire service men recovered the body of Swapan around 12:20 pm.

Akhteruzzaman, assistant director of Fire Service (Dhaka Zone), said “We heard that Swapan remained missing since the explosion in Gulistan area on Tuesday. We think it is Swapan's body.”

Meanwhile, rescue operation continues for the third day today at the building in Siddique Bazar of Dhaka’s Gulistan.

Lima Khanam, duty officer of Fire Service and Civil Defense headquarters control room, said the firefighting units are still continuing the rescue operation.

Earlier, on Tuesday, at least 17 people were killed and over 100 were injured in a massive explosion in a 5-storey building near a BRTC bus counter in the capital’s Gulistan area.

Meanwhile, two bodies were recovered from the debris ysterday, and Musa Haider, 45, a victim succumbed to his injuries at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital last night.

The explosion occurred around 4:50 pm on Tuesday. A sanitary materials shop on the ground floor of the building, BRAC Bank office on one of the other floors and an adjacent 7-storey building were damaged but no building collapsed.

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.