DHAKA, 5 June 2004 — Unidentified attackers yesterday set a packed double-decker bus on fire, killing at least 10 people, including a child, and injuring several others, police and witnesses said.
Seven charred bodies were recovered from the wreckage of the state-run bus, while two others died on their way to hospital, a police officer said on condition of anonymity.
Another bus was set on fire in a similar attack in Dhaka’s central Rampura district, but there were no casualties, police said.
No one claimed responsibility for the attacks. The double-deck bus was carrying about 150 passengers when it was attacked, witnesses said.
“I saw flames leaping up from the bus and heard many people screaming for help,” said Mohammad Hossain, a flower vendor near the scene of the fire.
The vehicle was destroyed before fire fighters arrived, Hossain said.
The attack outside Dhaka’s five-star Sheraton Hotel came a day before US Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld’s planned visit to Bangladesh.
