Bangladesh: Six AC machines explode in mosque, 50 worshippers hurt 

The authorities also believe gas that accumulated inside the mosque after pipeline leaks may have triggered the blast that caused the window glasses, some with the frames, fly onto the street and burnt ceiling fans, electric switch boards, and wires, reports bdnews24.

The air conditioners on the ground floor appeared to have melted after six units of the Fire Service and Civil Defence watered the two-storey Baitus Salat Jame Masjid in the Sadar Upazila’s Pashchimtalla neighbourhood, reports the news portal.

According to reports, the explosion occurred when worshippers were about to end their Isha prayers.

Fatullah Police Station OC Shafiqul Islam told bdnews24 more than 50 people were offering their prayers during the explosion.

“They ran for safety after the sudden explosion with a large bang. Many of the victims were rolling on the street to extinguish the flames on their bodies,” he added.    

As many as 37 of the victims, including the mosque’s Imam Abdul Maleque, 60, and Muezzin Delwar Hossain, 50, were rushed to Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka for treatment.

All of them were in “critical condition”, said doctor Samanta Lal Sen, the institute’s coordinator, told bdnews24.

Firefighters rushed to the spot and brought the flames under control.