Three burnt to death in microbus after crash in Chattogram

Three people have died after their microbus caught fire following a collision with a covered van on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway.

The deceased are an elderly couple and the driver of the microbus, said Mirsarai Police OC Jahidul Kabir on Tuesday. They are: Abdur Rahman, 65, his wife Kulsum Begum, 55, and driver Ruhul Amin, 35.

The couple’s grandsons -- Rony, 12, and Rasel, 10 -- were rescued from the blazing vehicle after the crash near Nizampur College in Mirsarai around 7am.

The family members were headed to Chattogram to greet their expatriate son upon his arrival at the Shah Amanat International Airport. The victims were travelling from Cumilla’s Monohorgonj Upazila.

The microbus and the covered van were both headed to Chattogram, said Md Jashim Uddin, deputy assistant director of the Chattogram Fire Service and Civil Defence.

“The microbus hit the covered van from behind and got stuck to it. It got dragged a few yards by the covered van and then suddenly caught fire,” he told bdnews24.com.

Following an explosion, the three burnt to death while still in the microbus. Fire fighters pulled out Rony and Rasel and sent them to a hospital.

The driver of the covered van quickly fled the area along with the vehicle, said OC Jahidul. The microbus fire was caused by the explosion of its gas cylinder upon impact, he said.