Three killed, 16 injured as bus plunges into ditch on Dhaka-Mawa Expressway

Three people were killed and 16 others injured after a passenger bus lost control and plunged into a roadside ditch on the Dhaka-Mawa Expressway in Sreenagar upazila of Munshiganj early Saturday.

The accident occurred around 3:18am in the Hasara area on the Dhaka-bound lane of the expressway.

One of the deceased was identified as Rukunuzzaman Ranju, 55, of Chuadanga. The identities of the other two victims could not be known immediately. Their bodies were recovered and handed over to the highway police.

The 16 injured were identified as Hridoy, 30, Shahin Akter, 32, Nur Islam, 55, Imran, 27, Gilbad Sarkar, 55, Tarikul Islam, 36, Saiful Islam, 40, Mirazul Islam, 28, Rafiqul Islam, 35, Anifin, 17, Sandipan Basu, 40, Ikram, 40, Raihan, 21, Hasib, 22, Tisha, 24, and Borhan Uddin, 55.

They are residents of different areas of Chuadanga, Meherpur, Jhenaidah, Dhaka and Magura.

Muhammad Shafiqul Islam, deputy assistant director of Munshiganj Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the Darshana Paribahan bus was travelling from Chuadanga to Dhaka when the driver lost control while attempting to overtake a covered van at high speed.

The bus then smashed through the roadside railing, crossed the service lane and plunged into a water-filled ditch beside the expressway.

On receiving information, two rescue units from Sreenagar Fire Station rushed to the scene and launched a rescue operation.

Firefighters rescued 11 people and took them to Sreenagar Upazila Health Complex in a Fire Service ambulance. Five others received first aid at the scene.