Ambulance Carrying Newborn’s Body Crashes, Three Injured

Three members of a grieving family were injured after an ambulance transporting the body of a deceased newborn lost control and collided with a pickup van on the Dhaka–Chattogram Highway in Sitakunda, Chattogram, on Sunday morning.

The accident occurred at around 9:30 a.m. in the south bypass area of Sitakunda municipality on the Dhaka-bound carriageway. According to police, the ambulance skidded on the rain-soaked road before crashing into the rear of a fish-laden pickup van, leaving the front section of the emergency vehicle severely damaged.

The injured have been identified as Amir Hossain, the newborn’s uncle, who was seated beside the driver, the child’s paternal grandmother Sufia Khatun, and maternal grandmother Beauty Begum. All three are residents of Sonagazi Upazila in Feni District. They sustained injuries in the collision and received immediate assistance following the crash.

The family had been returning home with the infant’s body after the child died earlier on Sunday while undergoing treatment at Chattogram Medical College Hospital. The newborn had been born on Thursday night at a hospital in Sonagazi but developed serious health complications shortly after birth. On Friday morning, the baby was first transferred to Feni General Hospital for treatment before being referred to Chattogram Medical College Hospital as the condition deteriorated. Despite medical efforts, the infant died while receiving treatment.

Following the child’s death, relatives arranged for the body to be transported by ambulance to the family’s home in Sonagazi for burial. The journey, however, ended in tragedy when the vehicle was involved in the road accident.

Eyewitness Mohammad Akhtar Hossain, a local resident, said the ambulance appeared to be travelling at considerable speed before striking the pickup van carrying fish. The impact left the ambulance badly damaged, while three passengers suffered injuries. He added that the newborn’s mother, Monowara Begum, was also travelling in the ambulance at the time of the crash but escaped without injury.

Police believe slippery road conditions caused by persistent rainfall were a significant factor in the incident. Mohammad Nurul Afsar, officer-in-charge of the Kumira Highway Police Outpost, said rain had made the highway particularly hazardous throughout the morning. He explained that the ambulance lost control near a U-turn before colliding with the vehicle ahead.

Emergency responders recovered both damaged vehicles from the scene, helping to restore the flow of traffic on the busy highway. Police confirmed that legal procedures have been initiated and the circumstances surrounding the collision are being investigated.

Road safety experts have long warned that heavy rainfall significantly increases the risk of crashes on Bangladesh’s highways, particularly when vehicles are travelling at speed or approaching intersections and U-turns. Sunday’s accident serves as another reminder of the dangers posed by adverse weather conditions, while adding further heartbreak to a family already mourning the loss of a newborn child.