Expressway Tragedy: Everything was wrong with the bus

The bus that went off the Dhaka-Bhanga expressway and crashed killing 19 people yesterday should have been taken off the roads four months ago when the authorities suspended its permits following a fatal crash.

The fitness certificate of the Emad Paribahan bus also expired on January 18. Yet, the owner of the transport kept it on the road.

"All kinds of approval -- registration and route permit -- of the bus was suspended in November last year as a punishment following a crash involving the bus," said Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) Chairman Nur Mohammad Mazumder yesterday.

"But they kept the bus in service violating the suspension. We are now going to revoke the registration and a case will be filed against its owner," he told The Daily Star.

Yesterday's crash again exposed the serious lack of enforcement of rules by government agencies, including the BRTA and the Highway Police.

The bus began its journey from Phultala Bus Terminal in Khulna around 4:00am yesterday and crashed in Kutubpur area of Madaripur's Shibchar upazila around 7:30am.

The driver and the bus conductor were among the dead. At least 25 passengers were wounded.

This is the deadliest crash since the expressway was inaugurated three years ago.

The bus was either speeding, or its front tyre burst at speed, or the driver dozed off, Madaripur Superintendent of Police Md Masud Alam told The Daily Star yesterday.

Taimur Islam, officer-in-charge of Bhanga Highway Police Station, who rushed to the spot after the crash, said, "We suspect the bus was speeding and the driver could not control the bus after one of its tyres burst.

"The exact cause would be revealed after investigation," he told The Daily Star, adding that speeding is rampant on the expressway, particularly in the area where the bus crashed.

The highway police know it well that early mornings are risky hours and they should strengthen law enforcement at that time, said transport expert Prof Shamsul Hoque, adding, "As drivers get away with speeding, they keep doing it."

Abdullahel Baki, sub-inspector of Shibchar Highway Police, said, "At least 14 died on the spot. Two died while being taken to Life Care Hospital and another person died while undergoing treatment at Panchar Islamia Hospital."

Two were declared dead after they were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said Mohammad Masud, assistant-in-charge of the DMCH police outpost.

Uzzal Sikder, an injured passenger at Shibchar Upazila Health Complex, said he heard a woman yelling at the driver and pleading with him to slow down when the bus was in Gopalganj.

Uzzal said he fell asleep and when he could open his eyes, he found people were dragging him out of the wreckage.

"I saw a severed hand of a fellow passenger. Another one was bleeding profusely from his ear. I am so lucky to be alive," he said.

Witness Saiful Islam said the front end of the bus was ripped apart on impact and some bodies were found in the crumpled and mangled front part. "We rescued some injured and sent them to hospital," he said.

SUSPENSION ORDER FLOUTED

Sheikh Mahabub-e-Rabbani, director (road safety) of the BRTA, said the suspension order on the bus was issued following a crash in Gopalganj that killed three people.

According to media reports, this bus rear-ended a parked sand-laden truck in Gopinathpur area of Gopalganj Sadar on Dhaka-Khulna highway on November 17 when it was heading for Khulna from Dhaka.

Three people, including the driver of a truck and the conductor of this bus, were killed and eight others were injured.

The Mirpur circle office of the BRTA issued the suspension of operation order after the crash.

The Daily Star could not reach the bus owner for comments.

In September, two buses collided head-on in Rangpur leaving at least eight dead and over 50 injured. None of them had route permits and one of them had no valid fitness certificate.

THE VICTIMS

Of the deceased, 17 died in Madaripur.

The local administration identified them as Sweety, Md Kabir Sheikh, Afsana Mimi, Masud, Sheikh Abdullah Al Mamun, Md Ismail, Md Hedayet Bahar, Md Farhad Sikder, Anadi Ranjan Mazumder, Mostak Ahmed, Md Sajib, Chinmoy Prosoon Ghosh, Mohadev Kumar Sadukha, Md Ashfaquzzaman Linkon, Rashed Sarder, Yusuf, and bus driver Md Zahid.

Their bodies were handed over to their families, said Md Rajibul Islam, Shibchar upazila nirbahi officer.

Bus conductor Minhaj Biswas and madrasa teacher Sheikh Yakub Ali died at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said hospital sources.

COMMITTEE FORMED

Madaripur district administration has formed a four-member committee to probe the crash.

The committee, led by an additional district magistrate Pallab Kumar Hazra, was asked to submit the report within three working days, said Rahima Khaton, deputy commissioner of Madaripur.

The district administration also announced financial assistance of Tk 25,000 for each of the families of the deceased, the DC said.

The Accident Research Institute of Buet will investigate separately, said its director Prof Shamsul Hoque.

[Our Shariatpur correspondent contributed to this report.]