Eight people were killed and 26 others injured as a bus plunged into a roadside ditch after hitting a tree at Birshordi in Gopalganj's Muksudpur early yesterday.

Passengers of the Barguna-bound bus from Dhaka blamed reckless driving for the accident.

Quoting locals, Azajul Islam, officer-in-charge of Bhanga Highway Police Station, said the accident happened on Dhaka-Barisal highway when the bus driver lost his control over the steering around 3:00am. Six people were killed on the spot and 28 others wounded.

The injured were rushed to Bhanga Upazila Health Complex. Some of them were later moved to Faridpur Medical College Hospital where two more died from their injuries.

Six of the eight deceased were identified as Dipon Biswas, 28, of Barisal's Agailjhara upazila; Ashim Maji, 35, of Jhalakati's Nalchhity upazila; and Hasan Mridha, 30, of Patuakhali Sadar upazila; and Nojir Gazi, 36, of Barguna's Amtoli upazila; Jahurul Islam, 29, of Barisal's Mehendiganj upazila; and Bazrul Rahman Sheikh, 35, of Gopalganj's Muksudpur. The identities of two others could not be known immediately.

Bus passenger Fatema Begum, 40, of Barguna's Amtoli, said, “The driver drove the bus at a high speed; some passengers asked him to drive the bus slow but he did not care.”  

Another passenger Mamun Hossain, 32, of Baherchar in Patuakhali, said, “The driver is responsible for this accident. He started driving the bus at a high speed from Dhaka and also talked on mobile phone.”

Momtaz Uddin Ahmad, assistant director of Faridpur fire service and civil defence, said four fire fighting units from Faridpur Sadar and Bhanga upazilas, and Gopalganj Sadar and Muksudpur upazilas conducted the rescue operation.