4 die as accident involving an ambulance and two buses sparks fire in Savar

A bus rammed an ambulance from behind, causing a gas cylinder to detonate and set off a fire

A fire has broken out in Dhaka’s Savar after a road crash between an ambulance and two buses led to a gas cylinder explosion. Four people in the ambulance have died from burn injuries while several others have been injured.

The incident occurred around 2am on Thursday on the Dhaka-Aricha Highway in the Police Town area of Rajpur Baria, according to Saugatul Alam, chief of Savar Highway Police Station.

A bus travelling along the Dhaka-bound lane of the highway rammed into the ambulance from behind, according to Meherul Islam, the chief of the Savar Fire Service and Civil Defence. This caused a gas cylinder to explode and spark a fire in the ambulance. The fire then spread to the bus that rammed the vehicle and a Shyamoli Paribahan bus that was nearby.

Two Fire Service units rushed to the spot and were able to bring the fire under control after nearly two and a half hours of effort.

The bodies of four people have since been recovered from the scene of the accident. They have been sent to Dhaka’s Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital for autopsies. Efforts are underway to identify them.

The burnt vehicles have been removed from the road, OC Saugatul said.

An investigation has been launched into the incident, he said.