Bangladesh: A speeding bus fell into a ditch on Sunday in Bangladesh killing 17 people while 30 others were injured, media reports stated. According to police, The Dhaka-bound bus operated by Emad Paribahan veered out of control on an expressway in Madaripur around 7.30 am.
The death toll is expected to climb as many of the injured were in critical condition, the police further added. Madaripur Police Superintendent Md Masud Alam said the injured were admitted to different hospitals.
"The accident is believed to be due to reckless driving and mechanical failure of the bus," bdnews24, a news portal quoted Alam as saying. Shiplu Ahmed, Deputy Assistant Director of Fire Service, Faridpur, said, "It is believed that the wheel of the speeding bus burst and it lost control and fell into the ditch and hit hard."
Three units of fire service are carrying out rescue work, said Lima Khanam, duty officer of the Fire Service and Civil Defence Headquarters who is carrying rescue efforts. They said the dead and the injured were yet to be identified.
Md Sabuj Khan, the counter man of the Shonadanga bus counter told The Daily Star newspaper that the Emad Paribahan bus left for Dhaka with more than 43 passengers.
Road accidents are common in Bangladesh due to old and badly maintained vehicles and roads, as well as poorly trained drivers.
(With inputs from PTI)
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