At least three passengers were injured when the gas cylinder of a bus exploded after its heated engine caught fire at Zero Point near the GPO in the capital last evening.
Two children and an elderly woman sustained injuries as they could not escape in time when the Skyline Paribahan bus caught fire.
Other passengers were able to get out of the bus safely, said Golam Sarwar, officer-in-charge of Paltan police station. Local people rescued the injured children and woman, but their identities could not be known immediately.
Anisur Rahman, an official of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the overheated engine of the bus had caused the fire around 5pm.
A witness said soon after the Sadarghat-Dhamrai route bus caught fire, panicked passengers got out for safety but the children and the woman could not get out quick enough.
The fire engulfed the entire bus within a few moments and its gas cylinder exploded with a big bang. The vehicle was completely damaged before fire fighters reached the spot.
