DHAKA: At least nineteen people were killed, and nearly 25 were injured Sunday in Bangladesh after a passenger bus smashed through a highway side fence and plunged into a roadside ditch, police officials said.
According to police, they suspected the driver lost control of the bus at 8:00 am (0200 GMT) and smashed the railing of a recently constructed major expressway, sending the bus tumbling 30 feet (nine meters) into the ditch.
“The death toll has increased to 19, whereas at least 12 people were critically wounded. The injured have been shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) in the capital,” local police chief Masud Alam said after the crash in the southern district of Shibchar.
Poorly maintained roads and vehicles in Bangladesh
Road accidents are frequent in Bangladesh because of the old and poorly maintained roads, vehicles, and poorly trained drivers. Bangladeshi passengers’ welfare association stated that a record 9,951 persons were killed in road mishaps in Bangladesh last year.
