3 of a family die as cylinder explodes in an ambulance
Three of a family died and three others were injured on their way home from hospital as the gas cylinder of an ambulance exploded in Chattogram’s Anwara upazila yesterday.
The deceased were identified as Mafij Uddin, 65, his daughter-in-laws Bubul Akter, 33, and Jainab Begum, 38, said Dulal Mahmud, officer-in-charge of Anwara Police Station.
Mafij and Jainab died on the spot while Bubul died while being treated at Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH), he said.
Mafij’s two sons -- Shahabuddin and Ziauddin -- and helper of the ambulance driver Md Munna were injured in the incident, the OC said, adding that the driver was not found on the spot.
The injured are currently receiving treatment at CMCH, OC Dulal added.
Shahabuddin said a big blast went off when the ambulance was crossing Chatori Chowmuhani area around 2:45pm, just an hour after the family hired the ambulance to their village home in Banshkhali upazila from CMCH.
Mafiz was released from the hospital yesterday morning, six days after he was admitted to the Neurosurgery unit with a head injury, Shahabuddin said.
“I don’t know what happened...I just heard a big sound and then discovered myself outside the ambulance,” he said in a quavering voice while talking to this correspondent at CMCH yesterday afternoon.
Police said an explosion of the CNG cylinder was the reason behind the accident.
Advocate Miraj Uddin, a cousin of Bubul who rushed to CMCH after the incident, told this correspondent that gas cylinders of vehicles were not being monitored properly, which was resulting in frequent accidents.
He urged the government to strictly monitor the gas cylinders so that such incidents can be avoided in future.
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