At least nine people, including three of a family, were killed and nine others injured when a bus crashed into a private car and a bike on the busy Dhaka-Khulna highway in Gopalganj district on Saturday morning, police said.
The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately. The accident occurred around 11.30am in the Dakkhin Fukra area of Kashiani upazila when the Khulna-bound 'Rajib Paribahan' bus collided head-on with the car coming from the opposite direction and then hit the bike before coming to a halt, police said.
"Seven people died on the spot in the impact of the crash. Ten injured people were rushed to Gopalganj Sadar Hospital, where one of them succumbed to injuries," said Masud Raihan, officer-in-charge of Kashiani Police Station. The accident disrupted vehicular movement on the highway for nearly half an hour, said in-charge of Highway Police, Sabbir Ahmed.
Road accidents in Bangladesh continue to claim hundreds of lives every year. As many as 543 people, including 81 children, were killed and 612 others injured in 427 road accidents in April, the Road Safety Foundation said in its latest report, released on May 7. The non-government organisation said 206 lives were lost in 189 motorcycle accidents, which is 37.93% of the total deaths. Also, 116 pedestrians and 87 drivers and their assistants were killed in March accidents. On the other hand, accidents on waterways claimed at least eight lives while 23 were killed and five injured in train accidents across Bangladesh last month.
