Two dead as oil tanker overturns and catches fire in Savar

The fire engulfed several other vehicles, halting traffic on the Dhaka-Aricha highway for around two and a half hours

Two people have been killed and several others injured after a tanker carrying oil overturned and caught fire in Savar's Hemayetpur.

The fire quickly spread and engulfed two other trucks and a car on the Dhaka-Aricha highway early on Tuesday morning, according to Savar Fire Service Station Officer Nurul Islam.

The incident brought traffic on the highway to a halt for around two and a half hours.

Eight people were rushed to Dhaka's Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery after the incident, according to Dr Md Tariqul Islam, the institute's resident surgeon.

Among them, Md Nazrul, 45, died before arriving at the hospital.

Milan, 22, Mim, 10, Al Amin, 35, Niranjan, 45, Shakib, 24, Helal, 21, and Abdus Salam, 35, are currently hospitalised.

The body of another unidentified person, who was killed in the accident, is in the custody of the police, according to Sub-Inspector Russel Molla of Savar Tannery Police Outpost.

Due to the construction of a road divider, stones were strewn along a section of the highway in the Jorpul area, blocking a U-turn.

"At around 5:30am, an oil tanker hit the stones obstructing the U-turn while travelling from Gabtoli to Savar, causing it to overturn and ignite. The fire quickly engulfed several vehicles behind it."

Following the incident, an ambulance and two units of the Savar Fire Service and Civil Defence arrived at the scene and successfully contained the fire.

Nurul Islam added that a person's charred remains were discovered at the site, while the injured were rescued and taken to the hospital.

Mohammad Shahzaman, the chief of Savar Model Police Station, inspected the area and confirmed that traffic on the highway was halted in the aftermath of the accident.

Normal traffic resumed around two and a half hours later, once the fire had been extinguished, he added.