Bangladesh office blast leaves 15 dead

Cause of explosion on fourth and fifth floors of Dhaka building not yet known

Firefighters and rescue workers at the site of an explosion in an office building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Tuesday. Reuters

Fifteen people were killed and dozens more injured in Bangladesh's capital after an explosion in an office building in a bustling commercial district, police said.

The cause of the blast was not immediately known but fatal building fires and explosions are common in Bangladesh, where safety enforcement is often lax.

The blast shook the fourth and fifth floors of a seven-storey building in Gulistan, a major hub for wholesale goods in the capital Dhaka, shortly before 5pm local time (3pm UAE).

Police inspector Bacchu Mia told AFP that at least 45 people were taken to hospital for treatment. Eleven of those had died, he said.

“Two of the dead are women,” he said. “The rest are injured and being treated.”

No fire broke out in the building but more than 150 firefighters were at the site to assist in rescue efforts, a fire services representative said.

The cause of the blast was still being investigated, he said.

A man in a blood-soaked shirt said he had been injured in the blast, which shattered windows and damaged a wall of the building.

“There were people lying on the floor. I escaped by climbing out from the window,” he said.

An explosion at an oxygen plant near the southern port city of Chittagong on Saturday killed three people.