At least seven dead, dozens injured in blast in Bangladesh's Dhaka; cause unknown

DHAKA: At least seven people died and dozens were injured in an explosion in Bangladesh's capital Sunday.

But authorities could not determine the nature of the explosion that damaged vehicles and surrounding buildings, the police and fire department said.

The explosion took place in the evening at a building in Dhaka's Moghbazar area, and rescuers reached the scene, said Faisalur Rahman, a fire control room official.

At least seven buildings were damaged because of the force of the explosion, Rahman said.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Shafiqul Islam told reporters at least seven people died. The injured were taken to hospitals, he said.

Witnesses said it was a scene of destruction with glass shards and broken concrete on streets. Two passenger buses were heavily damaged outside the building where the explosion took place, witnesses said.

Dhaka-based Ekattor TV stations said the condition of 10 of the injured were critical, among about 50 taken to hospitals.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion, but the main building where the explosion took place had a fast food shop. Reports said a faulty gas line or gas cylinders used by the food shop could be the reason behind the blast.