Four members of a family sustained burn injuries in an explosion, reportedly from gas accumulated due to a leak in the line, in Khilmarket area of Fatullah in Narayanganj early Sunday.

The injured are Sultan Miah, his wife Shahida Akhter, their sons Nabi Hossain and Ali Miah. All four are now undergoing treatment at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka.

Quoting locals, police said the members of the family went to their village home a few days back and returned to their flat on the third floor of a four-storey building in the Khilmarket area on Saturday night.

A fire broke out with a loud bang when one of the family members was about to light the stove in the kitchen around 1 am, leaving all four critically injured, they said.

Hearing their screams, the neighbors rushed to the flat and rescued them. They were taken to Narayanganj General Hospital.

Later, they were moved to Dhaka’s Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery with critical injuries.

Locals assumed that the explosion occurred due to accumulated gas from a line leakage.

Rakibul Hasan, duty officer of the national hotline of Fire Service and Civil Defence, confirmed the matter saying that one firefighting unit rushed to the spot. Locals had already doused the flame before their arrival.

Fatullah police station’s Officer-in-Charge Nure Azam said on information they rushed to the spot and sent the injured to the hospital.

Of the injured, Shahida’s condition was critical, the OC added.