<div style="text-align: justify; "><b><span style="font-size: 1rem;">The death toll from the deadly explosion in a 5-storey building in Dhaka's Gulistan area rose to 21 as another victim succumbed to his injuries at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital last night (March 08, 2023).</span><br></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The deceased was identified as Musa Haider, 45. He had been undergoing treatment at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery with 94% burn injuries. He succumbed to his injuries around 10:35 pm last night, said Inspector Bachhu Mia, in-charge of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital police outpost.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Earlier, on Tuesday, at least 17 people were killed and over 100 were injured in a massive explosion in a 5-storey building near a BRTC bus counter in the capital’s Gulistan area.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile, two bodies were recovered from the debris yesterday — raising the death toll to 19.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The explosion occurred around 4:50 pm with a big bang on Tuesday (March 07, 2023) at Siddique Bazar in Gulistan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A sanitary materials shop on the ground floor of the building, BRAC Bank office on one of the other floors and an adjacent 7-storey building were damaged but no building collapsed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">A four-member probe body headed by Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director of Fire Service and Civil Defense (Operation and maintenance), has been formed to investigate the explosion.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The committee was asked to submit its report within five working days, said Shahjahan Sikder, Deputy Additional Director of Fire service and Civil Defense headquarters media cell. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><b><br></b></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><b>bnbd24/kh</b></div>