His son md. Armaan said, “Dad went on duty at 2 o’clock. Father’s duty till 10 pm. Dad is not saying anything now. Only spoke once.”
At the time of the explosion, Rakib, the driver’s assistant, was entering the truck at the gate of a nearby institution. He told bdnews24.com, “I was standing at the gate of the factory next door when the call to prayer was given at half past four.
“Suddenly I heard a great sound. Then I sat on the street. Then I ran across the road and went to the other side as soon as I woke up. Then I saw smoke rising from Seema Oxygen Plant.”
Ripon Marak, who was injured in the blast, worked as a mechanic in the maintenance department of Seema Oxygen Plant for four years.
He said, “I was going to the oxygen plant from the maintenance department inside the factory. Suddenly there was a loud noise. Then all is dark. I don’t remember anything for a few minutes. Then I slowly started to look into the eyes.”
Then he went to his department and saw his another colleague Narayan Dhar also lying on the ground. From there they were brought in surprise. Ripon is in the hospital with a back injury.
The names of 18 people injured in the blast have been reported. They are – Forkan Ali (33), Nur Hossain (30), Abdul Motaleb (52), Md. Arafat (22), Maksudul Alam (30), Md. Osman (45), Md. Solaiman (40), Md. Ripon (40), Md. Azad, Ripon Marak (60), Pravesh (40), Narayan Dhar (60), Fancy (26), Md. Zaheed (30), Mujibul Haque (45), Rozi Begum (24) and Nasim Shahriar (26).
Brigadier General Shamim Ahsan, director of Chamek Hospital, told bdnews24.com, “The condition of three of the injured is critical. In addition, four people have head injuries. Eight may require surgery. A couple of people suffered eye and ear injuries.
“Everything necessary will be done to treat them.”