Blast near bank building kills over a dozen people – media

The explosion rocked the Gulistan area of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka

A powerful explosion has ripped through the Gulistan area of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, leaving over a dozen people dead and more than 140 injured, according to local press.

The blast on Tuesday evening, the cause of which has yet to be determined, mostly affected a five-story building located near a large bus station, the Daily Star newspaper reported.

There is a sanitary shop on the ground floor, while the rest of the building is occupied by the offices of the commercial BRAC Bank. A seven-story market next to the building was also damaged.

According to the latest casualty report, at least 15 people were killed in the incident, while more than 140 were injured. The victims are being taken to the nearby Dhaka Medical College Hospital, a senior police official told the media.

At least 14 people were killed and more than 100 injured in an explosion at a building in #Dhaka's Gulistan area. pic.twitter.com/dbppgpNNCn

— Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay07) March 7, 2023

The deadly incident is the third in Bangladesh in the past four days. Last Saturday, a blast at an oxygen factory in Sitakunda municipality in the southeast of the country claimed six lives. The next day, an explosion in a building on the capital’s Mirpur Road left three people dead.