At least 17 people died and more than 20 others were injured by a gas pipeline explosion on Friday at a mosque outside Dhaka, local media reported Saturday.
The death toll in the blast, which occurred during the night prayer at the Baitus Saldam Mosque in Narayanganj, included a 7-year-old child, according to the Dhaka Tribune newspaper.
The explosion at the Baitus Salam Mosque in Narayanganj occurred after the night prayer.
All of the people died at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka while undergoing treatment, Samanta Lal Sen, coordinator of the institute, was quoted by the paper as saying.
An official of the Narayanganj fire service said it appears all six air conditioners on the ground floor of the mosque also exploded.
Abdullah Al Arefin, assistant director of the fire service, told The Daily Star newspaper, "We are suspecting that gas accumulated inside the mosque from a leak in the pipeline. The gas could not go out because the windows were closed due to" the air conditioner.
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