At least 18 persons were killed and over 120 were injured in an explosion in a five-storey building in the capital's Gulistan.

Dhaka Medical College Director Brigadier Nazmul said in a briefing that the bodies were brought to the hospital from the spot.

DMCH Outpost inspector Bacchu Miah said the injured were admitted to the emergency and casualties department. They suffered wounds from the falling rubble.

The blast was reported at 4:50pm. The first unit of fire service arrived on spot at 4:57pm, Khaleda Yasmin, duty officer at the fire service control room, told The Business Standard.

"Currently, 11 units and 5 ambulances are working at the scene," Fire Service Director (Operation and Maintenance) Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told TBS. The fire service has so far rescued 55 injured from the site, of whom 15 are dead.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) bomb disposal unit visited the blast site for further investigation.

Among the dead, 19-year-old Mohammad Sumon returned home from Qatar 10 days ago. His mother and sister, unable to take the shock, fell unconscious repeatedly at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.

According to the fire service, the ground floor of the building that exploded is a sanitary shop and the remaining four floors are Brac Bank's Gulistan branch office which was also impacted due to the blast.

The glasses were shattered and a couple of people inside the branch suffered minor injuries and were given first aid, said Brac Bank's Head of Communications Ekram Kabir. Everything including the bank vault is safe, he added.

Due to the explosion, two or three floors of the building collapsed and the debris landed on several pedestrians who sustained serious injuries, according to the fire service control room.

Rameshwar Das, an assistant director of the Department of Narcotics Control, who survived the explosion, told The Business Standard it was around 4:30pm when he was crossing Gulistan's Alubazar area on his way to Chandpur.

"All of a sudden, a loud blast covered the entire area with rubbles falling from a nearby building," described Rameshwar. He said the sound was so loud that he felt he had gone deaf for a while. People got injured by broken glasses and fallen rubble.

President, PM expresses shock

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday expressed deep shock over the casualties in an explosion in the capital's Gulistan area.

In a condolence message, the president prayed for the salvation of the departed souls and conveyed his deepest sympathies to the bereaved families.  

The president also wished speedy recovery of the injured.

In a message of condolence, the Premier prayed for eternal peace of the departed souls and asked the authorities concerned to take prompt and necessary measures to ensure better treatment of the injured, PM's Press Wing sources said.

Expecting mother searches for husband missing since Gulistan blast

Mominuddin Sumon, a sanitary wires businessman, has been missing since the massive explosion in a five-storied building in Gulistan's Alu Bazar area which claimed at least 18 lives.

Sumon owns a shop named "Anika Sanitary" on the first floor of the building.

His wife Sharmin Akter, an expecting mother, rushed to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital soon after she heard of the explosion.

Sharmin burst into tears as she ran through the hospital premises in search of her husband.

Anika and Tanisha accompanied their mother in the search for their father.

More than 30 people from Sumon's Dhanmondi-based family thronged the hospital to find him.

The hospital ground was heavily crowded since Tuesday afternoon with relatives frantically searching for their near and dear ones.

All rescued from Gulistan blast area: DMP commissioner

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Khandaker Golam Faruq said everyone has been rescued from the explosion at Gulistan's Alu Bazar area on Tuesday.

"The explosion in Gulistan has caused many casualties. The fire service has rescued all of them and brought them to Dhaka Medical College Hospital," said the commissioner while visiting the emergency department of the hospital on Tuesday (7 March) evening.

"There are enough doctors here. They are treating the injured," he added.

In response to questions from reporters, he informed that the building where the explosion occurred was a commercial building.

"There were various sanitary items on the ground floor. Brac Bank was next to it. Besides, there were various commercial shops there," he said.

Golam Faruq further said that an investigation will be conducted to find out whether the explosion was a sabotage or an accident.

Most deaths occurred due to bleeding from head injuries: Health minister

Health Minister Zahid Maleque has said majority of the deaths occurred due to bleeding from head injuries sustained by the Gulistan blast debris.

The minister made the observation while inspecting the treatment programme of the blast victims currently admitted in Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 8:20pm.

All doctors rushed to the hospital after receiving a message from the hospital's emergency system and are providing treatment, he said.

"If there is a lack of space here, arrangements have been made to take patients to the Burn Institute and Mitford," the minister added.

The minister said that some of the victims have also sustained burn injuries. Two of the seven people being treated at the Burn Institute suffered burns to over 80% of their bodies.

"A lot of outsiders are coming in. So, providing treatment is becoming a bit difficult. We will first give treatment and then we'll list who is where," he added.

"The reason for such a massive explosion will be known after the investigation. Meanwhile, we have to be careful," said the minister.

Dr Ashraful Hoque, assistant professor of Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery told The Business Standard, "Eight patients have been admitted to the burn institute so far. All of them suffered over 30% burns on their bodies. Most of them are in critical condition."

'The building came crumbling down like there was an earthquake'

Thirty-five-year-old Jamal Shikder has been working at the "Anika Sanitary" shop in the capital's Gulistan area for the last two years.

He had been in the shop just moments before a massive explosion hit the building claiming at least 15 lives.

Jamal, who lived in a Kodomtoli match, came out of the shop and engaged in a chit-chat with coworkers in front of the shop.

"Within a few minutes, a loud blast shook the building and it felt like everything came crumbling down on us," recalled Jamal who survived the blast sustaining some injuries.

"The way we were falling down, it seemed like there was a massive earthquake, not just an explosion," said Jamal in his horrific description of the incident.

Jamal was rescued unconscious by firefighters and taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.

After regaining consciousness, Jamal saw his wife Munni sitting next to him, who rushed to Dhaka from Madaripur immediately after receiving the news of the explosion.

"I am lucky to be back with my family. But my employer is still missing," said Jamal in tears.