Four Bangladeshi expatriates died and another was critically injured after a bus carrying 52 Bangladeshis hit a roadside bus bay in Mauritius yesterday.

The dead have been identified as Sanjay Das from Faridpur, Rakib Molla from Kishoreganj, and Faruque Islam and Abdur Razzaque from Chapainawabganj.

The critically injured victim was undergoing treatment in the ICU of a hospital in the Mauritian capital Port Louis, said Ohidul Islam, labour welfare counsellor at the Bangladesh High Commission in Mauritius.

The incident left eight other Bangladeshis injured to different extents. They were undergoing treatment, he said, adding that several others received primary treatment.

Ohidul said the accident occurred around 7:30am local time near Port Louis when the bus carrying the Bangladeshis, who were picked up from their dormitories, was heading towards their workplaces.

The driver, a Mauritian also injured in the incident, lost control over the steering and hit a roadside bus bay, he told this newspaper over the phone.

The bodies were kept in a mortuary under the responsibility of a local funeral service, he said, adding that the high commission was trying to send the bodies home on the next available cargo flight and that regular cargo flights from Mauritius remained suspended at present.

Ohidul said local police was investigating the incident.

According to the expatriates' welfare ministry, the victims worked as construction workers under a company in Mauritius.

In a condolence message, Expatriates' Welfare Minister Imran Ahmad expressed deep sorrow at the deaths.