Photo : TDM
Accumulation of methane gas has been identified as the source of the explosions in Gulshan, Science Laboratory and Siddique Bazar in the capital, think the experts.
Among many reasons, the probe committees have found that causes of the explosion included improper use of cooking stove gas or cylinders.
Directorate of Fire Service and Civil Defence, Dhaka, Director (Operation and Maintenance) Lt. Col. Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, SGP, PSC, the head of the investigation committee, said, "Initially we thought that the blasts were caused by the accumulation of methane gas. However, a final decision can be reached once the full probe report is submitted."
He also said that the dilapidated, three-storied building of Shireen Manson, which was destroyed in the terrible explosion at the Science Laboratory, is at least 50 years old. After the explosion, the Rajdhani Unnyan Kartipakkha (RAJUK), fire service, and police are investigating the various defects of the building.
However, Rajuk has discovered that the design of the building was not approved by them. Shireen Manson's owner went into hiding. However, the issue of negligence in the responsibility of the building owner was found out by the probe committee.
Several times in a few months, the residents faced fire, but they didn’t take it into account.
The building had experienced around three incidents earlier, but the owner hid the information about fire and blasts again and again. They did not inform the fire service, TITAS, WASA, or the police bomb disposal team about the fire. A common toilet used by shop owners and visitors is connected to the main sewerage line at the west corner of the building. If there was a small fire repeated at that junction, they would extinguish it themselves.
The caretaker of the building said that the deadly explosion could have been avoided if there had been a ‘fire alarm’ in place.
Additional Superintendent of Police Rahmat Ullah Chowdhury, Head of the Bomb Disposal Team of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit, said that all the blast incidents that have occurred recently are due to carelessness in the use of gas burners. The accident occurred due to the accumulation of gas in the cylinder.
"All the incidents that occurred recently are due to carelessness in the use of methane gas. The accident occurred due to poisoning and the trapping of gas. Methane gas is the source of explosions and poisoning," said Rahmat Ullah Chowdhury.
Meanwhile, in the accident at Siddique Bazar that happened on March 7, the building became so dangerous due to the explosion that it became difficult to carry out the rescue work. As the market was open at the time of the blast, more people were trapped inside. It was no longer possible to rescue those people.
As the building became vulnerable, the fire service resumed operations only after receiving clearance from experts about its structural condition.
According to the information of the bomb disposal team of the police, three explosions were found to be similar to the incident at the Science Lab intersection. These fatal accidents were caused by accumulated gases.
The source of this fire was the explosion of a gas cylinder in the case of a fire on the 12th floor of a multi-storey building in the capital's Gulshan area. Before this, a fire broke out on the seventh floor of the building. Later, the fire spread around.
TDM/SNE
