At least five persons, including three of a family, were killed and four others injured as a bus hit an ambulance on Dhaka-Mawa Expressway in Munshiganj this afternoon.

Four of the deceased were identified as Abdus Samad Fakir, 60, his son Bilal Hossain, 40, daughter Afsana, 22, and ambulance driver Mahbub Sarder, 28.

One of the victims died on the spot while four others were declared dead after they were brought to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said Abdul Qader Jilani, officer-in-charge (OC) of Hasara Highway Police Station.

Shahed Al Mamum, officer-in-charge of Sirajdikhan Police Station, told The Daily Star that the accident occurred around 11:30am when a Golden Line Paribahan bus hit the ambulance parked on the expressway in Nimtola area.

The injured victims said that they were heading towards a private hospital in Dhaka's Dhanmondi with Rozina Begum, 30, wife of deceased Bilal.

Rozina is currently pregnant and was experiencing labour pain from last night. The ambulance hired in the morning was carrying 10 people, all of whom were family members and relatives of Rozina, they said.

When the ambulance reached Nimtola, a tire of the vehicle burst. The driver pulled over to the right side of the expressway to fix the tire. Some of the family members remained seated inside the ambulance, while others stood nearby.

At that time, a bus from Golden Line Paribahan came from behind and rammed into the ambulance, the injured people said.

Rozina suffered injuries during the incident and is now undergoing treatment at a Dhaka hospital.

Talking to the reporter at the DMCH, Saiful Islam Shanto, the bus helper, said the passenger bus was heading to Abdullahpur of Dhaka from Kushtia.

The ambulance was parked on the right lane of the expressway and the bus was moving at a high speed. The driver applied the brakes but could not stop in time that caused the accident, Shanto also said.