Two sisters suffered burns as unidentified criminals threw flammable chemicals at them while they were asleep at their home in Habiganj's Madhabpur upazila early Friday.

The victims are Habiba Akhter, 20, and Ayesha Akhter, 10, daughters of Eklash Mia of Purba Baghasura village in Madhabpur.

Locals said Habiba, a college student, and her fifth-grader sister went to sleep after dinner on Thursday night. The assailants broke the window grill in the early hours of Friday, threw flammable substance on them and fled.

The victims were rushed to Sadar Adhunik Hospital from where they were shifted to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital.

Habiba's face and her sister's hand and other parts of the body were burned in the attack.

Residential Medical Officer of Adhunik Hospital Dr Saifur Rahman Sohag said he was not sure if the substance was acid, but it was flammable. He added that 80 percent of Habiba's face was burned.

Her uncle Kader Mia said she was married to Mominul Mia, 26, son of Saheb Ali of Sayek village, Nasirnagar, Brahmanbaria over a year ago. Since she chose to live with her parents, the marriage ended in divorce four months ago, he said, adding, Mominul might have done it out of anger.

Chandan Kumar Chakraborty, officer-in-charge of Madhabpur Police Station, said they had visited the spot and were trying to arrest the criminals.