At least eight people were killed and 34 others injured as a bus fell into a roadside ditch after hitting a bridge on Dhaka-Barisal highway in Madaripur Sadar upazila this afternoon.

Identities of the deceased could not be known immediately and the injured were rushed to different hospitals and clinics in Madaripur Sadar, Faridpur and Barisal, reports a correspondent from Madaripur.

The accident took place around 3:00pm at Samaddar area of sadar upazila, said Ziaul Morshed, officer-in-charge of Madaripur Sadar Police Station.

The driver of Pirojpur-bound Shugandha Paribahan from Dhaka lost control and fell into a roadside ditch after hitting a bridge, he added.

Four died on the spot and four more succumbed to injuries at hospitals, said Maniruzzaman Fakir, Assistant Superintended of Police (ASP) of Madaripur.

On information, firefighters reached at the spot and began rescue works, and sent the wounded to Madaripur Sadar Hospital. Some of them were soon shifted to Faridpur and Barisal hospitals as their conditions were deteriorating, he added.

The number of causalities may increase, said Nazrul Islam, deputy assistant director of Madaripur Fire Services and Civil Defence.