Bagerhat: An ambulance caught fire on the 250-bed Bagerhat District Hospital premises on Tuesday, leaving its driver injured and nine motorcycles burnt. Eight patients and their relatives were also injured amid chaos during the fire, hospital authorities said. The injured driver, Farid Hossain, 68, was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in critical condition after being given first aid at the hospital.

According to United News of Bangladesh, Dr. Asim Kumar Samadder, superintendent of the hospital, stated that the ambulance was stationed in front of the main gate of the Old Building of the hospital as it was scheduled to transport two children, including one suffering from pneumonia, to Dhaka for treatment. The fire erupted around 12:30 pm, quickly spreading to nearby motorcycles, resulting in the destruction of the ambulance and nine motorcycles and injuring the driver.

The incident caused thick smoke to infiltrate around 20 rooms on the first and second floors of the hospital, leading to damage to electrical and water lines, WiFi connections, and parts of the building. Amid the chaos, eight patients and their relatives sustained injuries.

Bagerhat Fire and Civil Defence Senior Station Officer Sheikh Mamun R Rashid reported that firefighters arrived promptly after receiving information and managed to bring the fire under control within approximately 20 minutes.

In the aftermath, Bagerhat-2 MP Shaikh Monzurul Haque Rahad, Deputy Commissioner Golam Md Baten, Superintendent of Police Hasan Mohammad Naser Rikabder, and Civil Surgeon Dr. ASM Mahbubul Alam visited the scene. Meanwhile, police initiated the process of removing unfit ambulances parked on the hospital premises to Bagerhat District Police Lines. SP Naser emphasized that no ambulance without a valid fitness certificate will be permitted to operate in the district.

DC Baten announced the formation of a five-member committee to investigate the incident. The committee has been instructed to submit its report within five working days.