A total of nine people people were killed and 30 others injured when a bus hit a car and then ploughed into a bike and a couple operating a paddy-cutting machine on a farm land along the Dhaka-Khulna highway in Gopalganj on Saturday.
The deceased were identified as Basudeb Kumar Saha, 52, son of Prafulla Saha, his wife Sibani Saha, 48, and son Sapnil Saha, 19, a student of Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Azizur Islam, 44, Firoz Molla, 48, son of Peyar Ali, Ruma Begum, 40, wife of Firoz, Anik Babu, 28, and Yeasmin Akter, 19, wife of Anik and Altaf Hossain,47 son of Abdur Rashid from Patharghata upazila in Barguna.
The accident occurred around 11.30am in the Dakkhin Fukra area of Kashiani upazila when the Khulna-bound ‘Rajib Paribahan’ bus collided head-on with the car coming from the opposite direction, police said.
The bus, which was travelling at cruise speed, went on to hit a man and his wife riding the bike and then the farmer-couple working on the roadside paddy field before finally coming to a halt, police said.
“Seven people, including three of a family, died on the spot in the impact. Some 31 injured were rushed to Gopalganj Sadar Hospital, where one of them succumbed to his injuries,” said Masud Raihan, officer-in-charge of Kashiani Police Station.
Of the deceased, Anik and his wife Yeasmin were on the bike while Firoz and his wife Ruma had been working on the farm land along the highway.
The accident disrupted vehicular movement on the highway for nearly half an hour, said in-charge of Highway Police, Sabbir Ahmed.
Road accidents in Bangladesh continue to claim hundreds of lives every year.
As many as 543 people, including 81 children, were killed and 612 others injured in 427 road accidents in April, the Road Safety Foundation said in its latest report, released on May 7.
The non-government organisation said 206 lives were lost in 189 motorcycle accidents, which is 37.93% of the total deaths. Also, 116 pedestrians and 87 drivers and their assistants were killed in March accidents.
On the other hand, accidents on waterways claimed at least eight lives while 23 were killed and five injured in train accidents across Bangladesh last month.
Source: United News of Bangladesh