At least six people have been killed in a road accident following a collision in Barisal.
The accident took place around 4:40pm on Wednesday when an ambulance and a covered van collided head-on at Atipara under Wazirpur upazila of the district killing five people on the spot.
The deceased were identified as Arif Hossain, his wife Shiuli Begum, his mother Kahinoor Begum, brother Kaiyum Hossain, Alamgir Hossain, driver of the ambulance, and an unidentified man.
Police suspect that the unidentified man could be the driver’s assistant but they could not confirm.
In a statement, the witnesses of the accident said, Arif along with his family was going to his ancestral home in Jhalakathi to bury his three-day-old deceased daughter Tamannah.
When the ambulance approached the Atipara area, a covered van from the opposite direction collided with it head-on.
Simultaneously, a Chittagong-bound bus collided with the covered van, crashing the three vehicles altogether, and killing five persons on the spot, police confirmed.
Another passenger died while undergoing treatment after locals rescued him and took him to a hospital.
Officials from the Fire Service and police had to cut open the ambulance to recover the dead bodies.
Ziaul Ahsan, officer-in-charge of Wazirpur police station confirmed the incident and said the details of the accident will be provided after primary investigation is completed.
Police and fire service rushed to the spot to rescue the victims and to free up the highway for transports.