13 injured in explosion near Dhaka

At least 13 people including two local government leaders and wife of one municipality mayor have been critically injured in a powerful explosion at a resident house near Bangladesh's capital Dhaka Tuesday night local time, according to police sources.

"Instant after receiving the information we rushed to the spot and saw damages and blaze caused by the explosion," local Munshiganj Sadar police station chief Abu Bakar Siddiq told Anadolu Agency.

Nine severely injured have been admitted to the burn unit of the country's main public hospital, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, in the capital city.

The explosion reportedly occurred at the residence of a local government leader, Abdus Salam, the Mayor of Mirkadim municipality in the central district of Munshiganj close to capital Dhaka at around 8:00 p.m [GMT 1400], said police sources.

According to eyewitnesses, during the sudden explosion Salam along with some other counselors of the municipality were holding a meeting at the 2nd floor of the house.

"We heard a huge sound of an explosion like bomb and saw the blaze. We rushed to the spot and found the burnt injured," an eyewitness told the media.

Local police chief, however, said that an expert team from capital Dhaka would visit the explosion site soon and a combined investigation would be conducted to detect the source of the explosion.

"Before completing the investigation, I can't ascertain whether the explosion was a bomb or anything else," Siddiq added.