30 ambulances arrive in Bangladesh from India

The first fleet of 30 ambulances out of a total of 109 -- a gift from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- arrived in Bangladesh through the Benapole land port on Saturday morning.

Mostafizur Rahman, deputy commissioner of the Benapole Customs House, said that the 30 ambulances entered Bangladesh in the morning from the Petrapole border on the Indian side.

"Necessary paperwork is underway to get the clearance done. Once complete, the ambulances will leave for Dhaka later in the day," he said.

The remaining ambulances are expected to arrive in batches by September-end, said the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.

According to the Indian High Commission, Prime Minister Modi announced the gift of 109 ambulances to Bangladesh, during his state visit on March 26-27, to help bolster healthcare, especially in the shared effort to contain the Covid pandemic.

All the ambulances have ventilation support, said sources at the commission. And these are intended to support the government’s extensive effort to combat the pandemic.