3 road accidents take 16 lives

The groom to be and eight members of his family were killed in a road accident in Brahmanbaria yesterday when they were going to the bride's place for the wedding ceremony.

They were among 16 people who were killed in three separate road crashes in Brahmanbaria, Madaripur and Tangail yesterday. At least 31 others were also injured.

The microbus carrying groom Abu Sufian and his family collided head on with a bus on Dhaka-Sylhet highway around 11:00am near the Brahmanbaria intersection.

The other deceased were: Habibur Rahman, his two sons Kamran and Abu Sufian, and their relatives Ali Hossain, Murshidur, Muktar Miah and Abdul Hannan. Identity of another person who died at a hospital could not be known. 

Two injured were treated at Brahmanbaria Sadar Hospital and Madhabpur Upazila Health Complex.

Officer-in-Charge Humayun Kabir of Sorail Biswaroad Highway Police Station said the accident happened at Shashai area when the bus crashed into the microbus.

Confirming the identity of the deceased, their relative Faisal Ahmed said the victims were going to Brahmanbaria from Kamolganj of Moulvibazar for Abu Sufian's wedding.

The crash disrupted vehicular movement on the highway for around an hour.

In Tangail, five people were killed and 19 were injured -- four of them seriously -- when a bus went off the road on Dhaka-Bangabandhu Bridge highway in Kalihati early yesterday, our Tangail correspondent reports.

Nazrul Islam, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Kalihati Police Station, said some garment workers from Patgram in Lalmonirhat were returning to work at their Shofipur factory in Gazipur on a bus after the Eid holidays.

The driver of the bus lost control at a sharp bend and the bus ended up off the road in Poule area around 4:30am, leaving four dead on the spot 20 injured.

Police and Fire Service and Civil Defence personnel rescued the injured and rushed them to Tangail Medical College Hospital where one injured died of his injuries, he said.

The deceased have been identified as Ahsan Habib, 12, Asma Begum, 30, Mominur Rahman, 35, and Ripon Miah, 30, and Mohammad Sumon, 30, of Patgram upazila in Lalmonirhat, he added.

Deputy Commissioner Mahbub Hossain of Tangail visiting the hospital declared to give Tk 20,000 for the families of each deceased and Tk 10,000 for each of the injured.

In Madaripur, three people were killed and 10 others were injured when a bus rammed a locally made three-wheeler on Dhaka-Barisal highway in Baro Bridge area of Rajoir upazila, said Kamrul Hassan, officer-in-charge of Rajoir Police Station.

The deceased were: Belal Sheikh, 51, Belal Matubbor, 36, and Salauddin Kazi, 46.

Critically injured Merin Aktar, 27, was taken to Faridpur Medical College Hospital.

Ten injured passengers of the three-wheeler and the bus were admitted to Rajoir Hospital.