An explosion, possibly due to leak in sewerage line, rocked the 12-storey Mizan Tower at Kalyanpur bus stand on Wednesday evening, creating huge panic in the area.
The blast originated in the sewerage line beneath the building possibly because of gas accumulation, Fire Service Control Room Duty Officer Vajan Sarker told the Dhaka Tribune.
The fire fighters did not find anyone injured in the incident that took place around 6:30pm. But Vajan said he had heard that five people sustained injuries while evacuating the building hurriedly.
The building houses shops, offices and a mosque on the first three floors while the rest is residential.
Officials of the city’s real estate regulator Rajuk visited the spot and declared it “safe,” said the official.
Soon after the explosion, rumours spread fast as many people said the building titled and also subsided. Even a senior police official of Mirpur zone confirmed to the Dhaka Tribune that the building had tilted to one side.
The panic forced all people to evacuate the building because of the shake created. Traffic movement on the busy main road was also halted for over three hours creating tailbacks in and around the area.
Hasan Khaled, one of the witnesses, said: “The building authorities started evacuating the dwellers immediately after the incident. A few people were injured at that time.”
Two fire units rushed to the spot to rescue the panic-stricken people.
The fire fighters, as precautionary measure, also closed the nearby shops and evacuated the buildings adjacent to Mizan Tower.
Jasim Uddin, the additional deputy commissioner of DMP (Mirpur zone), said traffic on both sides of Mirpur Road between Shyamoli and Gabtoli were blocked in order to avert any accidents. Traffic movement was resumed around 9pm.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
