A fire broke out in a moving bus traveling from Dhaka to Barishal, leaving 19 passengers lucky to escape unscathed. The incident occurred on Thursday morning in Barishal’s Ujhirpur area, with one passenger sustaining minor burns.
On Thursday, March 6, a Green Line bus traveling from Dhaka to Barishal caught fire while in route, with the passengers narrowly escaping the blaze. The incident took place around 10:30 AM near the South Bamrail Bus Stand in the Sanuhar area of Ujhirpur. As a result of the fire, traffic on the Dhaka-Barishal Highway was halted for over an hour.
According to the Fire Service and Highway Police, the bus was carrying 23 passengers when it left Dhaka. After four passengers disembarked at Gournadi, 19 remained on board. Upon reaching the Sanuhar area, the bus suddenly caught fire, and the driver immediately stopped the vehicle. Within a minute, all passengers evacuated the bus. The fire spread rapidly across the bus.
Fire units from Gournadi and Ujhirpur arrived at the scene, and after an hour of effort, they managed to control the flames. Traffic on the highway remained halted for an hour and a half before normal operations resumed around 12 PM.
Gournadi Highway Police Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Aminur Rahman stated that the fire was likely caused by a short circuit or engine malfunction.
Passengers reported that after passing the Batajore area in Gournadi, they began to smell a burnt odor inside the air-conditioned bus. Upon informing the driver and the inspector, the staff sprayed air freshener inside, but the smell intensified, causing panic among the passengers. The driver quickly stopped the bus, allowing the passengers to exit. One female passenger sustained minor burns, but the rest of the passengers were unharmed. However, many passengers’ luggage was destroyed in the fire.
Bipul Hossain, Station Officer of Gournadi Fire Service and Civil Defense, confirmed that the bus was completely burned, and passengers’ belongings were ruined. However, he stated that the exact cause of the fire remains uncertain without further investigation.
Liberty News’ local correspondent states that at the time of the incident, Green Line Transport authorities had not provided any immediate statement regarding the fire.
LND/BG
