Massive explosion in Bangladesh's capital leaves 16 dead & over 100 injured; rescue ops on

Bangladesh’s national capital Dhaka was rocked by an explosion on Tuesday, killing at least 16 people. Bdnews24.com reported that the blast took place at a building in the Old Dhaka building in Siddique Bazar and injured over 100 people. 

The local fire service and rescue officials reached the site of the explosion at 4:50 pm and the rescue operation is currently underway. While the cause of the blast is still unclear, the rescue officials feared that the death toll might rise as Siddique Bazar is a crowded marketplace in Old Dhaka.

Hafiz Akter, additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said there were “a lot of casualties”. He termed the blast as the "biggest in recent times".

Injured rushed to the hospital

According to the Bangladeshi news outlet, the injured were sent to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital and all of them were receiving treatment at the emergency unit.

“More patients are coming. Four of them have more than 50 percent of their bodies burnt. One has 98 percent burnt. They are in critical condition," said Prof Samanta Lal, the coordinator of the institute.

“Each of the injured is in a very bad state,” he added.

The blast ripped through a seven-floor building and damaged the first two floors badly. The building was storing sanitary products and household items. The explosion also damaged a bus on the opposite side of the road. This is the third blast the country witnessed in a week.