Bhasantek fire: Man dies after wife, mother-in-law

After the deaths of his wife and mother-in-law, furniture trader Md Liton, who suffered severe burns in a fire at their house in Dhaka's Bhasantek area on Friday, died at a Dhaka hospital this morning.

Liton, 48, breathed his last around 6:00am at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, said Torikul Islam, a resident surgeon at the burn institute.

He had burns on 67 percent of his body, he said.

The death toll in the fire incident has now risen to three. Liton's wife Surya Banu, 35, passed away last night and her mother, Meherunnesa, 70, died while receiving treatment at the hospital with 48 percent burns on Saturday.

Six members of the family were injured after the fire broke out on the ground floor of the house in Natun Bazar Culvert Road area around 4:00am on April 12.

The couple's three children -- Liza, 18, Sujon, 9, and Lamiya, 7 -- are still being treatment at the hospital.

Quoting the victims, their neighbour Moyna Begum said that early in the morning, Liton lit a mosquito coil, which led to the fire. All other members of the family were asleep at that time.

The family members suspected gas accumulated from a leak in the cooking cylinder caused the fire.

Of the injured, Liza suffered 30 percent burn, Lamiya 55 percent, and Sujon 43 percent.