Road crashes kill 5 in three dists

Five people were killed and around 40 injured in separate road crashes in Jamalpur, Kushtia and Magura today.

In Jamalpur, a microbus ran over two people at Digpait Barbhita in Sadar upazila.

The deceased -- Mostafa,50, son of late Fajor Ali of village Digpait, and Zahurul, 28, son of Harmuj Ali of village Saunia in Sadar upazila, -- were poultry businessmen.

Two other businessmen -- Shahin, 30, of village Paboi, and Dipu, 23, of village Narayanpur of the upazila -- were also injured in the accident. They were admitted to Jamalpur General Hospital.

Quoting witnesses, Inspector of Narayanpur Investigation Centre under Sadar Police Station Mahabbat Kabir said the four traders were taking preparation to load their cages carrying hens on a pick-up van waiting beside Jamalpur-Tangail highway around 5:30am.

All of a sudden, a Jamalpur-bound microbus from Dhaka ran over the traders as the driver lost control over the steering, leaving Mostafa and Zahurul dead on the spot, the inspector said.

Soon after hitting them, the microbus plunged into the roadside ditch but its driver managed to flee the scene, he added.

In Kushtia, two people were killed and 35 others injured as a bus plunged into a roadside ditch at Sahebnagar on Kushtia-Ishwardi highway in Mirpur upazila.

Akhtaruzzaman, officer-in-charge (Investigation) of Mirpur Police Station, told UNB that the accident took place when a Pirojpur-bound a bus coming from Kurigram skidded off of the highway and fell into a ditch around 4:00am.

The injured were admitted to Kushtia General Hospital.

In Magura, a businessman was killed and another injured as a truck fell into a roadside ditch after being hit by another truck on Dhaka-Khulna highway in Sadar upazila in the wee hours of today.

The deceased was identified as Hannan Mandal, 50, while the injured victim has been identified as Salam, 55, a Magura correspondent reports quoting Sub-Inspector of Magura Highway Police Abdur Rouf.