Online Desk: At least seven people died after an ambulance caught fire in Faridpur’s Bhanga upazila this morning. identities of the deceased could not be known immediately.

Confirming the incident, Ziarul Islam, officer-in-charge of Bhanga Police Station, said the accident took place around 10:45am at Maligram area on the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga expressway. “We suspect that the driver lost control over the vehicle and hit the guard rail of the overbridge. The fire originated from the gas cylinder and engulfed the vehicle,” he said. “We are investigating the incident,” he added.

Ronendra Nath Chowdhury, sub-officer of Bhanga Fire Station, said they rushed to the spot around 10:55am and doused the fire within five minutes.

Superintendent of Police of Faridpur Md Shahjahan said all the dead were the passengers of the vehicle. The driver of the ambulance, heading toward Bhanga from Dhaka, sustained injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital, he said.