A blast at an oxygen plant in southeastern Bangladesh's Sitakunda area claimed six lives on Saturday following a huge explosion, officials quoted by Reuters said. Located about 220 km southwest of the capital Dhaka, the impact of the explosion was reportedly felt several kilometres away from the ground zero.&nbsp;

Officials added that the death toll may rise before the conclusion of the rescue operation which is currently underway.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion, a fire service official cited by Reuters said.

"Six bodies were recovered from the site,"&nbsp;local government official Shahadat Hossain told Reuters, adding the rescue operation was continuing.

The impact of the explosion was reportedly heard up to two kilometers away,&nbsp;Nayhanul Bari said, quoting witnesses.&nbsp; 
 
Locals said a&nbsp;loud noise was heard after which fire broke out at Seema Oxygen Plant at around 4.30 pm in Keshabpur area of Chattogram's Sitakunda upazila. 
 
Fire&nbsp;officials said nine units were mobilised to douse the fire&nbsp;and the exact reason for it is yet to be ascertained.&nbsp;Television footage showed Bangladesh Army troops joining the firemen in the rescue operations.

Last year in June, in the same area, a massive fire at a container depot had claimed the lives of 50 people and injured nearly 200. 
 
(With inputs from agencies) 
 
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A blast at an oxygen plant in southeastern Bangladesh's Sitakunda area claimed six lives on Saturday following a huge explosion, officials quoted by Reuters said.

A blast at an oxygen plant in southeastern Bangladesh's Sitakunda area claimed six lives on Saturday following a huge explosion, officials quoted by Reuters said. Located about 220 km southwest of the capital Dhaka, the impact of the explosion was reportedly felt several kilometres away from the ground zero. Officials added that the death toll may rise before the conclusion of the rescue operation which is currently underway. It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion, a fire service official cited by Reuters said. "Six bodies were recovered from the site," local government official Shahadat Hossain told Reuters, adding the rescue operation was continuing. The impact of the explosion was reportedly heard up to two kilometers away, Nayhanul Bari said, quoting witnesses. Locals said a loud noise was heard after which fire broke out at Seema Oxygen Plant at around 4.30 pm in Keshabpur area of Chattogram's Sitakunda upazila. Fire officials said nine units were mobilised to douse the fire and the exact reason for it is yet to be ascertained. Television footage showed Bangladesh Army troops joining the firemen in the rescue operations. Last year in June, in the same area, a massive fire at a container depot had claimed the lives of 50 people and injured nearly 200. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Bangladesh: Six killed, several injured in explosion, blaze at Sitakunda oxygen plant

Bangladesh on Monday sentenced 10&nbsp;terrorists to death for the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/bangladesh-in-denial-over-jihadist-attacks-analysts-1705">2001 bombing which had killed five people</a>. &nbsp;

Ten Harkat-ul-Jihad al Islami members have been convicted and sentenced to death, news agency AFP quoted the Dhaka city's&nbsp;public prosecutor as saying.

"They carried out the bombing as part of their jihad to establish a militant government. They wanted to smear the image of the secular government and create anarchy," prosecutor also said.

Meanwhile, two communist party members who were also accused of involvement in the attack were acquitted.

Several bombs were detonated in Dhaka in January 2001, at a meeting of the Communist Party of Bangladesh. After the investigation which lasted for several years, the police blamed the country's branch of the banned fundamentalist organisation, Harkat-ul-Jihad al Islami (HUJI).

Islamist groups have been targeting secular activists, moderate Muslims and religious minorities in Bangladesh since the 1990s.

HUJI and Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were the two most prominent outfits. Both were led by Afghan conflict veterans and were blamed for scores of deaths in bomb and grenade attacks.

The top six JMB leaders were executed in 2007 after being found guilty of synchronised bomb attacks in August 2005.

And HUJI chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and two associates were executed in April 2017 for orchestrating a 2004 attack on a Sufi shrine that killed three people and wounded the British high commissioner to Dhaka.&nbsp; 
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Bangladesh on Monday sentenced 10 terrorists to death for the 2001 bombing which had killed five people. Ten Harkat-ul-Jihad al Islami members have been convicted and sentenced to death, news agency AFP quoted the Dhaka city's public prosecutor as saying.

Bangladesh on Monday sentenced 10 terrorists to death for the 2001 bombing which had killed five people. Ten Harkat-ul-Jihad al Islami members have been convicted and sentenced to death, news agency AFP quoted the Dhaka city's public prosecutor as saying. "They carried out the bombing as part of their jihad to establish a militant government. They wanted to smear the image of the secular government and create anarchy," prosecutor also said. Meanwhile, two communist party members who were also accused of involvement in the attack were acquitted. Several bombs were detonated in Dhaka in January 2001, at a meeting of the Communist Party of Bangladesh. After the investigation which lasted for several years, the police blamed the country's branch of the banned fundamentalist organisation, Harkat-ul-Jihad al Islami (HUJI). Islamist groups have been targeting secular activists, moderate Muslims and religious minorities in Bangladesh since the 1990s. HUJI and Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were the two most prominent outfits. Both were led by Afghan conflict veterans and were blamed for scores of deaths in bomb and grenade attacks. The top six JMB leaders were executed in 2007 after being found guilty of synchronised bomb attacks in August 2005. And HUJI chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and two associates were executed in April 2017 for orchestrating a 2004 attack on a Sufi shrine that killed three people and wounded the British high commissioner to Dhaka.

Bangladesh: 10 members of banned militant outfit sentenced to death for 2001 bombing

Suspected Islamists carrying bombs and machetes launched another deadly attack in Bangladesh Thursday, killing at least three people at a huge prayer rally marking the start of Eid. 
 
Days after a mass murder of hostages in Dhaka, authorities said two policemen and a civilian were killed in explosions and gunfire near a prayer ground in the northern Kishoreganj district. 
 
One of the attackers was also shot dead and four of his suspected accomplices were arrested after hand bombs were hurled at police manning a checkpoint just outside the main prayer ground. 
 
&quot;Two policemen, an attacker and a woman who was shot during the (subsequent) gunfight were killed,&quot; national police spokesman A.K.M. Shahidur Rahman told AFP. 
 
&quot;Nine policemen were also injured. They are in a critical condition and have been shifted to a military hospital in Dhaka.&quot; 
 
Weapons recovered from the scene of the attack, close to where a quarter million people had been taking part in a post-Ramadan gathering, included a pistol and machete. 
 
The prayer gathering in Kishoreganj is by far the biggest such congregation in Bangladesh, a mainly Muslim country that is home to around 160 million people. 
 
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which came less than a week after Islamists killed 20 hostages and two policemen in an overnight siege at a Western-style cafe in the capital Dhaka. Many of the victims, who included 18 foreigners, were hacked to death with machetes. 
 
Bangladesh has been on heightened alert in the wake of the killings last Friday night and many Eid services included pleas from religious leaders for an end to the violence. 
 
The cleric who led the Kishoreganj prayer, Maolana Farid Uddin Masuod, has been an outspoken critic of a recent wave of attacks by Islamist extremists and he again strongly condemned Thursday&#39;s killings. 
 
&quot;The young men who think they will go to heaven (by carrying out such attacks) are wrong. They will go straight to hell,&quot; Masuod told AFP by phone. 
 
- Tears and prayers - 
Many of those who attended services in Dhaka could be seen weeping as clerics led prayers for a more peaceful and prosperous Bangladesh. 
 
The biggest service in the capital was at the National Eidgah Maidan where more than 50,000 people, including Bangladesh&#39;s President Abdul Hamid, took part in prayers under a giant canopy. 
 
Police brought in scanners and sniffer dogs to check for bombs as crowds were forced to wait for up to an hour before being cleared to enter the grounds where the service was held. No one was allowed to bring in bags. 
 
Bangladesh has been reeling from dozens of attacks since the turn of the year, mainly targeting secular activists or religious minorities. 
 
Many of them have been claimed by the self-styled Islamic State group or an offshoot of the Al-Qaeda network. 
 
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina&#39;s government has consistently denied international jihadist networks have any presence in Bangladesh, but has been criticised for failing to tackle a rise in Islamist extremism. 
 
After the latest attack Hasina said there was &quot;no place for terrorists&quot; in Bangladesh and urged families to do more to prevent their young becoming radicalised. 
 
&quot;I urge parents to take steps to bring their missing sons home. We will give them all cooperation to find their missing boys and for their treatment, if necessary,&quot; she said. 
 
Several of the suspects in last week&#39;s cafe attack were young men from wealthy Dhaka families who had no idea they were involved in Islamist extremism. 
 
Critics have said Hasina&#39;s administration is in denial about the nature of the threat posed by extremists and accuse her of trying to exploit the attacks to demonise her domestic political opponents. 
 
Last month, authorities launched a crackdown on local jihadists, arresting more than 11,000 people, but critics allege the arrests were arbitrary or designed to silence political opponents. 
 
Bangladesh&#39;s main Islamist party has been banned from contesting polls and most of its leaders have been arrested or else executed after recent trials over their role in the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. 
 
On Thursday Bangladesh&#39;s Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu portrayed the latest attack as being designed to topple Hasina. 
 
&quot;We don&#39;t know which group they belong to but they are suspected members of (an) extremist terrorist group. They are against the normal religious practices of the country,&quot; he told AFP. 
 
(AFP)

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A bystander was also killed and 10 policemen hurt. The attack took place outside a prayer ground where 250,000 worshippers had gathered

Suspected Islamists carrying bombs and machetes launched another deadly attack in Bangladesh Thursday, killing at least three people at a huge prayer rally marking the start of Eid. Days after a mass murder of hostages in Dhaka, authorities said two policemen and a civilian were killed in explosions and gunfire near a prayer ground in the northern Kishoreganj district. One of the attackers was also shot dead and four of his suspected accomplices were arrested after hand bombs were hurled at police manning a checkpoint just outside the main prayer ground. "Two policemen, an attacker and a woman who was shot during the (subsequent) gunfight were killed," national police spokesman A.K.M. Shahidur Rahman told AFP. "Nine policemen were also injured. They are in a critical condition and have been shifted to a military hospital in Dhaka." Weapons recovered from the scene of the attack, close to where a quarter million people had been taking part in a post-Ramadan gathering, included a pistol and machete. The prayer gathering in Kishoreganj is by far the biggest such congregation in Bangladesh, a mainly Muslim country that is home to around 160 million people. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which came less than a week after Islamists killed 20 hostages and two policemen in an overnight siege at a Western-style cafe in the capital Dhaka. Many of the victims, who included 18 foreigners, were hacked to death with machetes. Bangladesh has been on heightened alert in the wake of the killings last Friday night and many Eid services included pleas from religious leaders for an end to the violence. The cleric who led the Kishoreganj prayer, Maolana Farid Uddin Masuod, has been an outspoken critic of a recent wave of attacks by Islamist extremists and he again strongly condemned Thursday's killings. "The young men who think they will go to heaven (by carrying out such attacks) are wrong. They will go straight to hell," Masuod told AFP by phone. - Tears and prayers - Many of those who attended services in Dhaka could be seen weeping as clerics led prayers for a more peaceful and prosperous Bangladesh. The biggest service in the capital was at the National Eidgah Maidan where more than 50,000 people, including Bangladesh's President Abdul Hamid, took part in prayers under a giant canopy. Police brought in scanners and sniffer dogs to check for bombs as crowds were forced to wait for up to an hour before being cleared to enter the grounds where the service was held. No one was allowed to bring in bags. Bangladesh has been reeling from dozens of attacks since the turn of the year, mainly targeting secular activists or religious minorities. Many of them have been claimed by the self-styled Islamic State group or an offshoot of the Al-Qaeda network. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government has consistently denied international jihadist networks have any presence in Bangladesh, but has been criticised for failing to tackle a rise in Islamist extremism. After the latest attack Hasina said there was "no place for terrorists" in Bangladesh and urged families to do more to prevent their young becoming radicalised. "I urge parents to take steps to bring their missing sons home. We will give them all cooperation to find their missing boys and for their treatment, if necessary," she said. Several of the suspects in last week's cafe attack were young men from wealthy Dhaka families who had no idea they were involved in Islamist extremism. Critics have said Hasina's administration is in denial about the nature of the threat posed by extremists and accuse her of trying to exploit the attacks to demonise her domestic political opponents. Last month, authorities launched a crackdown on local jihadists, arresting more than 11,000 people, but critics allege the arrests were arbitrary or designed to silence political opponents. Bangladesh's main Islamist party has been banned from contesting polls and most of its leaders have been arrested or else executed after recent trials over their role in the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. On Thursday Bangladesh's Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu portrayed the latest attack as being designed to topple Hasina. "We don't know which group they belong to but they are suspected members of (an) extremist terrorist group. They are against the normal religious practices of the country," he told AFP. (AFP)

Bangladesh Eid ambush: Four dead, including two policemen and 1 attacker