At least 12 passengers of a microbus have been killed after it collided head-on with a bus in Narsingdi’s Belabo upazila, police say.
The deceased are Hasan Miah, 40, his wife Halima, 25, son Ifan, 8, and sister-in-law Jhuma, 16, and their relatives Manik, 45, Masia, 35, Hira, 35, Amena Begum, 32, Jannat Begum, 35, Sharmin Akter, 23, Antar, 10 and Nazmul, 10.
They all were going to Kishoreganj from Dhaka to attend a family programme.
Nine people including three pedestrians have sustained injuries. Three of them were sent to Dhaka while the others were given first aid at different local hospitals.
The accident occurred when the microbus and a bus crashed in Darikandi area of the upazila around 6:45am Sunday, leaving the 11 dead on the spot, Bhairab highway police OC Mizanur Rahman said.
Police seized the bus, but the driver managed to escape.
“A probe committee has been formed to investigate the accident. The victims’ families were given Tk5,000 each for funeral,” said Additional Deputy Commission Md Mozammel Haque.
Deaths on the roads have been on the rise despite different measures by the government and awareness campaigns by different rights groups and NGOs.
The number of accidents increased by 24% in January compared to December last year, claiming the lives of at least 416 persons, the National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways (NCPSRR) said recently, blaming rush driving and unskilled drivers, among others, for frequent accidents.
On the other hand, according to the Bangladesh Passengers Welfare Association (BPWA), at least 6,055 people were killed and 15,914 injured in 4,312 road accidents occurred across the country last year.
The organisation cited 12 common reasons for frequent road accidents, including reckless driving and lack of awareness, risky overtaking, unauthorised drivers, faulty roads and unfit vehicles, violation of traffic rules and using mobile phones while driving.