Dhaka, March 8 -- On the night of February 29, a Thursday, one of Dhaka's most storied streets, Bailey Road, was bustling. It was the start of the weekend, and the date signifying a leap year had been latched on to by the various eateries in particular to offer various promos. It was also one of the last days of Boi Mela - usually as the last day of February it would have been the last day, but this year there was a two-day extension.

Witness accounts of what exactly happened vary, but there seems to be general agreement that around 9.50pm, there was a loud blast, like a gas cylinder blast, on the first floor of the Green Cozy Cottage Building, a residential-cum-shopping complex that contained a number of restaurants, including a Kacchi ...