UAE visa centre damaged as Bangladesh blast kills one

Six people injured in Dhaka explosion

A general view of the Bangladeshi capital city Dhaka. Getty Images  

An explosion in a high rise in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, housing a UAE visa centre on Wednesday killed one and injured six others.

The blast was caused by a technical issue with the tower block building’s air-conditioning system, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The blast damaged the 14-storey Empori Financial Centre but it is unclear if it caused structural damage to the building.

Kumar Chakraborty, deputy commissioner Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Gulshan division, where the blast occurred, said that the man killed was the air-conditioning mechanic.

The injured were not identified.

Emergency services attended the incident.

“Preliminary investigations suggest that the incident was caused by mechanical issues during routine maintenance of the air-conditioning unit. The UAE embassy is co-operating with the local authorities to carry out further investigations to clarify the reason behind the explosion,” the ministry said.