Two killed, 22 injured as bus catches fire in Cumilla

Two people were killed and 22 others injured as a running bus caught fire in Cumilla’s Daudkandi on Thursday evening.

The fire broke out at a bus of Matlab Paribahan while it was crossing Cumilla’s Gouripur Bus Stand area at around 6:00pm. The bus was heading towards Chandpur’s Matlab from Dhaka.

Daudkandi highway police’s habildar Ashraful Alam confirmed the death of two.

He said 15 injured passengers of the bus were sent to Dhaka. Two more passengers were admitted to Daudkandi upazila health complex. Five were given primary treatment.

It’s suspected the fire originated from the gas cylinder of the bus.

Daudkandi fire service officials rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control.

Mohammad Jamal Uddin, residential medical officer of the Daudkandi upazila health complex, said the injured persons are in critical condition.

The accident has created about seven kilometre long tailback in Dhaka-Chattogram highway.

Daudkandi highway police station’s officer-in-charge Jahirul Haque said the bodies are kept under the police’s supervision.

The authorities are trying to normalise the vehicular movement on the highway, he added.