Bangladesh's Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan has assured the public that the country has sufficient expertise to carry out the investigation into the explosion that killed at least 17 people In Old Dhaka on Tuesday. More than 100 others were injured in the powerful explosion that ripped through a building in Old Dhaka's crowded Gulistan area. e also said that the probe report will be submitted within five days.
Khan said that an investigation has been ordered into the incident and that the findings will be made public. Members of the bomb disposal units and personnel from the police, army, and fire service will be conducting the investigation, but foreign experts will be engaged as well, if needed.
Khan emphasized the investigation would be impartial, and that there is no reason for it to be partial. The bodies of the 17 people who died in the explosion were handed over to their relatives on Wednesday. A four-member probe body, led by Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director of Fire Services and Civil Defence, has been formed to look into the cause of the explosion. The report will have to be submitted within five working days.
Meanwhile, three firefighting units resumed rescue operations for a second day on Wednesday, but the work is moving slowly due to the risky condition of the building. According to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, the building is precariously hanging, with the beams and pillars in the basement damaged. Operating heavy machinery in the area could create vibrations that might cause the building to collapse. Officials fear the toll will go up as many of those rescued are critically injured.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in Doha for the United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, has prayed for the peace of the departed and urged authorities to take prompt action to ensure better treatment of the injured.
The explosion occurred two days after another explosion at a building in Dhaka's Science Laboratory area that killed three people and injured several others. Last week, seven people were killed in an explosion at a private oxygen plant in the southeastern port city of Chattogram, injuring dozens of others.