Newborn among 3 killed in bus-ambulance collision in Rangpur

Three people, including a newborn, were killed in a head-on collision between a passenger bus and an ambulance at the Sholeyasha Kharubhanj bridge point on the Rangpur-Dinajpur highway in Taraganj upazila today.

"The mishap occurred when the bus from Dhaka and ambulance from Nilphamari collided head-on from opposite directions there at 5 am," Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Rangpur Highway Circle Zahidur Rahman Chowdhury told BSS.

Seven people aboard the ambulance were injured in the accident. They were rushed to Rangpur Medical College Hospital where the on-duty doctor declared three of them dead.

"The victims were going to Rangpur Medical College Hospital from Nilphamari Sadar Upazila Health Complex with the sick newborn," ASP Zahidur Rahman said.

The deceased were identified as ambulance driver Al-Amin Barat, 30, son of Nasir Uddin, Rafiqul Islam, 40, son of Jahanur Islam and a seven-day-old newborn of Nilphamari.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Taraganj Highway police station Sheikh Mohammad Mahbub Morshed said the driver and helper of the passenger bus fled from the spot soon after the accident. A case has been lodged with Taraganj police station in this connection.

Earlier on last September 4 at midnight; nine people were killed in another head-on collision between two passenger buses at the same point on the highway in Taraganj upazila of the district.