SIXTEEN worshippers have been killed and dozens more have been left with critical burns after an underground gas pipeline exploded near a mosque outside Bangladesh’s capital.
The blast occurred on Friday night as people were finishing their prayers at the Baitus Salat Jame Mosque at Narayanganj, near Dhaka, local police chief Zayedul Alam said.
Doctors are treating at least 37 people with burns on up to 90% of their bodies, officials said.
TV stations reported that because of the impact of the blast, at least six air conditioners also exploded inside the mosque.
Firefighters are investigating the cause of the explosion.
Abdullah Al Arefin, assistant director of the fire service and civil defence, said that officials suspected gas had accumulated inside the mosque from a leak in the underground pipeline that had gone unnoticed.
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