Seven charred to death as ambulance catches fire in Faridpur
Staff Reporter :
In a tragic incident on the Dhaka-Bhanga Expressway, a speeding ambulance crashed into a divider, resulting in a devastating fire that claimed the lives of seven individuals, including women and children on the spot.
Though the severely injured driver of the vehicle was promptly rushed to Faridpur Medical College Hospital for urgent medical attention, he was shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) as his condition deteriorated further. The driver finally succumbed to his burn injuries at the DMCH.
The identities of the victims could not be identified immediately
The charred bodies were taken to the morgue Faridpur Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College Hospital for post-mortem, police said.
The victims are driver Mridul Malo (25), son of Subhash Chandra Malo from Guhalaxmipur area of Faridpur town; Taslima Begum (50), wife of Aajizar from Felanagar village in Boalmari’s Gunbaha Union; Kamala (30), wife of Alamgir from Maitkumra village in Shekhar Union of Boalmari; Beauty (26), wife of an army person Mahmud; and the three children of Kamala: Arif (12), Hasib (10), and Afsa (1), as well as Beauty’s son Mehedi (10). Beauty’s husband, Mahbub, is currently stationed at Rajendrapur Cantonment.
Fardipur Deputy Commissioner Kamrul Ahsan Talukdar told the media that a probe committee comprising 5 members has been formed to investigate the incident.
An amount of Taka 20,000 will be provided to each family of the deceased for burial of the deads. Additionally, upon request from relatives, the bodies will be handed over to the family members without conducting a post-mortem examination, he said.
According to Mahbub Alam, Superintendent Police of Highway Faridpur Zone, the accident occurred on Saturday morning on a flyover in the Maligram area of Bhanga Upazila, located within the Faridpur district.
The ill-fated ambulance was en route from Dhaka to the southern region when the incident took place, he said.
Ziarul Islam, the Officer-in-Charge of Bhanga Police Station, stated that it appeared the driver had lost control of the vehicle, causing it to collide with the road divider.
The collision resulted in a gas cylinder explosion, igniting the ambulance and leading to the tragic fire.
Police said they would conduct an investigation to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the accident.
Firefighters from Bhanga Station swiftly responded to the scene upon receiving the news and managed to extinguish the flames soon.
Ranendranath Chowdhury, an official from Bhanga station of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, stated, “Upon receiving information about the fire, we arrived at the scene around 11:55 am and extinguished the fire.”
The traffic movement came to a halt soon after the fire accident for a long time. The traffic movement became normal when the debris of the ambulance was removed from the spot.
