One killed, 50 hurt in hotel explosions
Tuesday, 3 June 2008
A housekeeping supervisor of Hotel Orchard Plaza was killed in Sunday night's serial explosions that also left around 50 other people wounded, including a few foreigners, reports UNB.
Police said Ali Azam, 42, a housekeeping supervisor of the hotel at Naya Paltan, succumbed to his injuries at City Hospital at about 3:45pm.
Police and witnesses said the first explosion occurred in a suite on the 7th floor of the Hotel Orchard Plaza at about 9:30pm when a Sri Lankan national, AR Samontha Lake, went to his toilet by lighting a cigarette.
Critically injured, Ali Azam and Samontha were rushed to the High Dependency Unit (HDU) of the City Hospital where Ali Azam died Monday.
The hospital sources said condition of the Sri Lankan is "very critical" as he has been kept alive on life support.
Seriously injured hotel-staff members Jafar Iqbal alias Mohin, 30, and Meer Hossain Miron, 40, and a private university student, Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury, 27, were admitted into the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Meanwhile, IGP Noor Mohammad at a briefing told reporters in the police headquarters on Monday afternoon that they had already formed a 3-member fact-finding committee, headed by the DMP additional police commissioner, on the explosions. The committee was asked to submit its report as early as possible.
The committee drew members from among officials of RAB, DMP and Police Headquarters.
"It's an accident, not sabotage, as we didn't so far find any explosive substance in the hotel which can prove that it's sabotage.
The fact-finding committee has already started its job to find out whether the explosions were an act of sabotage," DMP Commissioner Nayeem Ahmed said.
The DMP chief said short circuit and gas-line leakage could be the reasons behind the explosions. Because, after the first explosion, they stopped the power supply to the hotel and when they reconnected electricity supply, two more explosions occurred in the residential hotel.
Police said Ali Azam, 42, a housekeeping supervisor of the hotel at Naya Paltan, succumbed to his injuries at City Hospital at about 3:45pm.
Police and witnesses said the first explosion occurred in a suite on the 7th floor of the Hotel Orchard Plaza at about 9:30pm when a Sri Lankan national, AR Samontha Lake, went to his toilet by lighting a cigarette.
Critically injured, Ali Azam and Samontha were rushed to the High Dependency Unit (HDU) of the City Hospital where Ali Azam died Monday.
The hospital sources said condition of the Sri Lankan is "very critical" as he has been kept alive on life support.
Seriously injured hotel-staff members Jafar Iqbal alias Mohin, 30, and Meer Hossain Miron, 40, and a private university student, Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury, 27, were admitted into the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Meanwhile, IGP Noor Mohammad at a briefing told reporters in the police headquarters on Monday afternoon that they had already formed a 3-member fact-finding committee, headed by the DMP additional police commissioner, on the explosions. The committee was asked to submit its report as early as possible.
The committee drew members from among officials of RAB, DMP and Police Headquarters.
"It's an accident, not sabotage, as we didn't so far find any explosive substance in the hotel which can prove that it's sabotage.
The fact-finding committee has already started its job to find out whether the explosions were an act of sabotage," DMP Commissioner Nayeem Ahmed said.
The DMP chief said short circuit and gas-line leakage could be the reasons behind the explosions. Because, after the first explosion, they stopped the power supply to the hotel and when they reconnected electricity supply, two more explosions occurred in the residential hotel.