7 of a family among 8 killed as ambulance catches fire in Bhanga
Seven people were killed on spot and another died later
Tashlima Begum of Boalmari upazila in Faridpur came to Dhaka a month ago for treatment and was residing with her elder daughter Kamala Parveen.
After treatment, Tashlima, along with six members of her family, on Saturday morning were returning back home in an ambulance.
But the family's journey ended up in flames as the ambulance's gas cylinder exploded after hitting the roadside railings of Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga Expressway in Maligram area under Bhanga upazila of Faridpur district at around 11am.
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The fire killed all eight people in the vehicle, including Tashlima Begum and her family members.
The deceased were identified as Tashlima Begum, 55; her daughter Kamala Parveen, 26; Beauty Begum, 24; grandchildren Hasib, 8; Hafsam, 2; Arif, 12; and Mehdi, 12.
They were all residents of Felannagar village in Gunbaha Union of Boalmari Upazila in Faridpur district.
The ambulance driver Mitul, 25, resident of Taki Molya Road, Lakshmipur Mohalla under Faridpur City also was killed in the accident.
Seven people were killed on the spot and the driver was injured, Boalmari Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mosharef Hossain said.
The ambulance driver was admitted to Faridpur Medical College Hospital at 12:10pm.
When his condition worsened, he died on the way from Faridpur to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical at around 3pm, officer-in-charge (OC) of Faridpur Kotwali Police Station Abdul Jalil said.
Police and fire service personnel recovered the bodies from the spot.
Faridpur Deputy Commissioner Kamrul Ahsan Talukder said a three-member investigation committee, headed by Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Bipul Chandra Dey, has been formed to investigate the incident. They have to submit their report within three working days after the investigation.
He said Tk20,000 was given for burial to the families of each deceased.
