Four members of a family, including two children, sustained severe burn injuries in an air-conditioner explosion at a building adjacent to Lichubagan Mosque in Dhalpur Bou Bazar area of Jatrabari early Saturday.

The injured were identified as Md Tuhin Hossain, 38, his wife Eva Akter, 30, and their two sons Tanvir, 9, and Tawhid, 7.

The incident took place around 1:30am on the seventh floor of the building, police and family members said.

Tuhin works at a mobile servicing shop in Motaleb Plaza, while the family hails from Sadar upazila in Madaripur.

Tuhin’s sister-in-law Farzana said the family members were asleep when the AC exploded, instantly sparking a fire inside the room and leaving all four injured.

Neighbours rushed in, doused the flames, and took the victims to Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. Doctors said all of them are in critical condition.

Dr Shaon Bin Rahman, resident surgeon at the institute, said Tuhin sustained 47 percent burns, Eva 15 percent, Tanvir 40 percent, and Tawhid 8 percent.

Three of them have been admitted to the hospital, while Tawhid has been kept under observation.

The incident has left the community in shock, with many questioning whether faulty air conditioners or electrical lines may have triggered the blaze. For now, prayers and well-wishes continue to pour in as the four cling to life, bound together by pain and hope in a stark hospital ward.