The death toll in the explosion in Narayanganj mosque jumped to 24 on Sunday while the condition of the remaining 13 was still critical, authorities said.

The burn victims died while undergoing treatment at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery where 37 victims were brought after a blast ripped through BaitusSalatJame Masjid of PaschimTalla under Fatulla in Narayanganj Friday evening.

Health minister Zahid Maleque confirmed the latest death toll.

Police said that some 40-45 people were offering isha prayers when a blast in an air conditioner sent a ball of flames through the mosque.

Quoting fire service officials, Fatullah police officer-in-charge Aslam Hossain said that the incident might have happened due to leakage in the gas pipeline underneath the mosque.
Related Coverage:

    ›  21 killed in Narayanganj mosque blast

Local people said that they complained to Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company officials and the mosque committee about the leakage, but the authorities did not pay heed.

Many victims jumped to sewage water in front of the mosque to save themselves from the fire in vain, said local resident Mohammad Selim.  

Selim said that they rescued the injured and sent them to the hospitals.

DMCH surgeon Partha said that most of the victims had 60-70 per cent burn injuries and the death toll could rise.

The injured are mostly of Paschim Talla area and many families have several burn victims, as some of them are dead or fighting for lives.

The mosque’s imam Abdul Malek was rushed to the burn unit’s intensive care unit in a critical condition, but he died at about 8.30pm, said doctors.

Meanwhile, panic, anxiety, anger and grief grip the Paschim Talla area of Narayanganj after the disaster as many families have lost their dearest and nearest ones.

Some families found themselves in the throe of anxiety over the fate of their closet ones as uncertainty still overshadows their lives.

Masum, grandson of deceased Kuddus Bepari, said that the blast immediately sent shockwaves through the neighborhood as members and relatives of many families were in the mosque to offer their prayers.

Narayanganj fire service deputy assistant director Abdullah Al Arefin said that the explosion took place at about 9:00pm from gas leakage.

He said that the mosque was a three-storey structure and it was fitted with a gas line that passed underneath the mosque.

There was a leak in the gas line and the ground-floor of the mosque was filled with gas, he said.

During the isha prayers, the explosion occurred, he said, adding that six air-conditioners in the room were also damaged and the windows were all shattered.

Four units of fire service rushed to the spot and put out the fire in no more than 20 minutes, Arefin said.