Parked bus 'torched' in Ashulia
A parked bus of Labbayek Paribahan was reportedly torched on the Nabinagar-Chandra road in Ashulia, near the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ) late last night (18 May).
According to Fire Service and Civil Defence officials, the incident occurred at around 11:45pm. A unit from the DEPZ Fire Service responded promptly after receiving the call at 11:58pm, and brought the blaze under control within 20 minutes.
No casualties were reported as the bus was empty at the time.
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"All the seats of the bus were completely burnt. The cause of the fire could not be determined immediately," said Pranab Chowdhury, senior station officer at the DEPZ Fire Service.
Meanwhile, Shafiqul Islam, the bus driver's assistant, said he had parked the bus and left briefly to take a bath.
"I received news of the fire within 10 minutes. There was no mosquito coil or anything lit inside the bus that could have caused the fire. I suspect someone may have set it on fire out of enmity," he said.
Eyewitnesses and fire service officials said the bus was parked near the western lane of the Nabinagar-Chandra road when passers-by noticed it in flames and alerted the Fire Service.
Authorities are expected to carry out an investigation.
