10 killed in N'ganj as bus hits lorry

Attending a wedding in Gazipur on Sunday night, Kajal Rani Saha and her son Shuvo Saha were on way to their home in Chandpur's Haziganj yesterday.

The mother and the son, who failed to get a direct bus to their village, boarded a Chittagong-bound bus near the Kanchpur bridge around noon.

As the vehicle reached Tripurdi area of Narayanganj's Sonargaon about an hour later, it hit a parked lorry on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway. At least 10 passengers, including Shuvo, 16, were killed and 30 others injured.

The deceased included three women and two children.

Photo: Star

Of the injured, 15 were rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

With her blood-stained saree, Kajal, 46, was seen wailing in front of the emergency unit of the hospital yesterday afternoon.

“Oh God, please don't take away my Shuvo. Please give him back,” she kept wailing hearing the news that her son, who used to run their six-member family by selling street food, was no more. 

Another victim, Mizanur Rahman, 25, was returning to his home in Feni along with his wife Hena Akhter, 18 and brother-in-law Ramim, 6. The couple had gone to Mizanur's in-laws' house in Keraniganj a week ago.

Hena and Ramim were killed in the accident.

Mizanur was being treated at the DMCH.

Abul Kashem, another injured passenger, said he too boarded the bus near Kanchpur.

“The bus had hit a rickshaw in Sonakandi area. The driver had since been driving recklessly apparently to avoid trouble,” he said, adding that the bus then hit the lorry in Tripurdi area.  

Mollah Taslim Hossain, Narayanganj traffic police inspector (administration), said the bus was carrying around 40 to 50 passengers.

“The front side of the bus was badly damaged after it hit the parked lorry. Two passengers died on the spot,” he said.

The injured were rushed to Sonargaon upazila health complex where two others died, he added.

Doctors at DMCH declared six others dead after they were taken there.

The dead included Mohammad Yeasin, 38, and Jiasmin, 32. The identities of the other deceased could not be confirmed till last night.

Traffic movement on the highway remained halted for about an hour after the accident.