At least eight workers were burnt in a boiler explosion at the Akij Cement Factory in Ekrampur area of Bandar upazila in Narayanganj on Saturday evening.

The injured workers whose identities were confirmed are Hannan, Manjur, Habib, Rakibul, Khorshed, Tarek, and Ferdous. The identity of one injured worker could not be immediately ascertained.

The explosion occurred at about 5:15pm in the boiler room of the factory. Following the incident, the factory’s internal fire safety system brought the fire under control.

The injured workers were later admitted to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka.

Golam Muktar Ashraf, officer-in-charge of Bandar Police Station, said the blast was powerful enough to shatter glass walls in several rooms of the factory building.

‘In the incident, eight workers who were working in the boiler room sustained minor burns and were injured by shattered glass,’ the OC said.

Bandar Fire Service in-charge Sanjay Khan said that the explosion occurred when the boiler of a heat exchange machine burst in the poly fiber unit of the factory, where cement bags are manufactured.

‘We are investigating the cause of the explosion,’ he added.

After news of the blast spread, local residents gathered in front of the factory gate. However, factory authorities restricted entry into the premises.

At around 10:00pm, Resident Surgeon Shawon Bin Rahman of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery said eight injured workers from the Akij Cement Factory had been brought to the emergency department.

‘The extent of their burn injuries is yet to be determined,’ he said.