Gas cylinder explosion kills five children outside school in Bangladesh
The local police chief says witnesses had spoken of blood-soaked bodies lying at the scene of the tragedy.
Wednesday 30 October 2019 22:17, UK
At least five children have died and 17 others are injured after a gas cylinder used to inflate balloons exploded outside a school in Bangladesh.
Police said the blast happened when a vendor was selling balloons to children who live in a nearby slum in Dhaka's Rupnagar area.
Bbnews24.com reported that a vendor had been arrested.
The cylinder was placed on a tricycle rickshaw when the explosion happened, police said.
The children who died were aged between seven and 14 and there are fears the death toll could rise.
Local police chief Abul Kalam Azad said witnesses had spoken of blood-soaked bodies lying at the scene.
He said a woman has lost an arm because of the impact of the blast.
The cause of the explosion is not known but the use of substandard gas cylinders is rampant in the South Asian nation where there is little inspection and monitoring by the authorities.