16 killed in Sirajganj road crash

-- 16 people killed as two buses collided head-on

-- Most of the deceased were residents of northern districts

-- A four-member probe committee formed

At least 16 people were killed and around 40 injured as two passenger buses collided head-on in the west side of of Bangabandhu bridge in Kamarkhand upazila of Sirajganj this morning.

The death toll may rise as many of the injured remained in critical condition, our Pabna correspondent reports quoting Helaluddin, officer-in-charge of Bangabandhu Bridge (west) Police Station.

The accident took place when a bus belonged to Sabbir Paribahan collided head-on with another bus belonged to Azad Paribahan at Mulibari in the upazila around 5:00am, the OC said.

The bus of Sabbir Paribahan was heading for Syedpur in Nilphamari from Chittagong while the Azad Paribahan bus was going to Dhaka from a northern district.

More than fifty passengers of the both buses were injured in the accident. Among the 16 dead, 12 people died on the spot and other four died on way to hospital, according to the police official.

The injured people are undergoing treatment at different local hospitals.

A four-member committee headed by Additional District Magistrate Kamrul Islam was formed to investigate the road accident.

Local administration will give Tk 10,000 to the dead victims' families each, Deputy Commissioner Billal Hossain told our correspondent.

Superintendent of Police Md Miraj Uddin said that the accident occurred as the bus of Sabbir Paribahan took wrong side on the road.   

Police seized the two damaged buses from the spot.