At least 12 labourers were injured in a huge explosion that occurred at a shipyard in Chittagong's Sitakunda upazila on Saturday.
Condition of 10 of the injured have been stated to be critical as their windpipes were burnt.
The critically injured were rushed to the Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH).
Later, seven of the 10 critically injured burnt patients were sent to Dhaka.
According to sources, the huge explosion occurred at about 12:30am at the pump room of scrap ship breaking factory at SN Corporation's shipyard situated at the coast of the sea at Shitalpur Tetultola in Sonaichari union under Sitakunda upazila, leaving 12 labourers receiving multiple injuries.
It is learnt that the labourers were cutting scrap ship inside the pump room of the shipyard. Suddenly, a tank kept inside the pump room exploded with a huge sound spreading flames there.
Md Omar Faruque, an official working at the ship breaking factory, said the work of breaking the scrap ship was at the last stage. The labouers were cutting the ship at the pump room. At that time, a tank kept inside the pump room exploded with huge sound and flames which engulfed the labourers instantly.
Professor Dr Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Head of the Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH), told reporters that the windpipes of the victims of Chittagong Shipbreaking Yard explosion were burnt away. None of them is out of danger.
Among the burn victims, 70 per cent of the body of Jahangir, 90 per cent of the body of Ahmed Ullah, 35 per cent of the body of Kashem, 25 per cent of the body of Sagar, 80 per cent body of Al Amin, 80 per cent body of Khairul, 40 per cent body of Habib, 50 per cent of the body of Barkat, 25 per cent of the body of Anwar and 10 per cent of the body of Rafique were burnt, said the doctors at the Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of the CMCH.
Brigadier General Taslim Uddin, Director of the CMCH, said seven of the seriously injured burn victims were taken to Dhaka for advanced treatment.
He said they would require Burn ICU which does not exist at the CMCH.
The scrap ship breaking factory, SN Corporation, is owned by one Shawkat Ali Chowdhury.
Getting information, Fire Service members rushed to the spot.
