1 killed, 15 injured in Rangpur LPG filling station blast

A man was killed and at least 15 others injured in an explosion at an LPG filling station in Rangpur city today (19 July).

The deceased is Sohagh, 45, an engineer by profession, said Rangpur Medical College Hospital Director Brig Gen Ashiqur Rahman.

The blast occurred around noon during maintenance work at the filling station in CO Bazar area of the city, causing damage to nearby buildings and at least 20 ambulances and microbuses.

"A sudden explosion ripped through the gas reservoir, propelling tank fragments and machinery into the air," Rangpur Kotwali police station OC Ataur Rahman told The Business Standard.

Vehicles parked nearby, including two long-haul buses, were damaged in the incident, he said.

The OC added that the blast seriously injured 15 people, including four workers involved in the repairs. "We heard that an engineer was killed in the blast."

Deputy Assistant Director of the Rangpur Fire Service and Civil Defence, Badsha Masud Alam, said the filling station had been closed for repairs. "The explosion was likely triggered by excessive pressure from a gas leak in the reservoir tank."

He added that emergency teams swiftly transported the injured to Rangpur Medical College Hospital.

Of them, Sohagh was pronounced dead by the physicians at the hospital.

Meanwhile, a five-member committee has been formed to investigate the explosion. The committee, headed by the additional district magistrate from the Deputy Commissioner's Office, has been asked to submit the report within three days, UNB reports.

Traffic on the Rangpur-Dinajpur highway was disrupted following the blast.