It was a heartbroken scenario when hundreds of people of fire victims’ families were gathering at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) this morning to know the fates of their nearest and dearest ones, who were feared to be worst victims of the devastating city fire.
At least 67 people were killed and hundred others injured in the deadly fire broke out at a chemical warehouse-prone Chawakbazar area in Old Dhaka last night, reports BSS.
“My husband was on the way to home. At that time a big fire ball felt on him and many parts of his body were burnt instantly,” said Hazera Begum, the wife of critically injured 50-year-old Anwar, who is a rickshaw puller of city’s Kamrangirchar area.
She added: “Anwar, who also a father of four children, made a phone call immediately to his only daughter after the incident and saying he is no more”.
Later, locals rescued him from the fire and sent to the burn unit of the DMCH, Hazara said.
Lucky Begum, sister-in-law of a 45-year-old victim Selim who is a worker of a Miror factory at Chawkbazar, said her brother-in-law fall a victim of the fire while coming to home at around 10:30 pm last night.
His left leg has fractured and back, face and other parts of the body have been critically burnt, Lucky said, adding that Selim was brought to the hospital by 11 pm.
“Mahmud is now undergoing treatment at the DMCH’s burn unit with 13 percent burn injury. When he was returning home at Hazi Bhallu road with some medicines, he was caught in fire after reaching near a mosque at Churihatta area,” said Motaleb, maternal uncle of the victim.
Meanwhile, the Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery of the DMCH has published a list of nine critically injured patients this morning.
The critically injured patients are — Anwar, 55, admitted with 28 percent burn and respiratory injuries, Mahmud, 52, with 13 percent burn, Selim, 44, with 14 percent burn, Helal, 18, with 16 percent burn, Rezaul, 21, with 51 percent burn, Zakir, 35, with 35 percent burn, Mozaffor, 32, with 30 percent burn, Shohag, 25, with 60 percent burn and Salahuddin, 45 admitted with 10 percent burn injuries.
Nine critically injured are now undergoing treatment, but they are not out of danger, said Dr Samanta Lal Sen, Plastic Surgeon and Coordinator of Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery of the hospital.