A bloody day on roads

At least 16 people, including seven in a single incident, died and 15 others were injured in different road crashes in four districts yesterday.

In Netrokona, five Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinees were killed and 18 others injured in a road accident in Durgapur upazila.  

The accident took place in Shantinagor area on the Birisihi-Netrakona road around 9:00pm, reports our Mymensingh correspondent quoting police.

One of the victims was identified as Ridoy Mia, 16, son of Romzan Ali of Shalihor village in Gouripur. Identities of the four others, all of them male, could not be known immediately.

"23 SSC examinations from different educational institutions in Gouripur upazila of Mymensingh came to Birisiri for picnic travelling on two pick-up vans this morning [Saturday]," said Mahmuda Sharmin Nely, assistant superintendent of police (Durgapur-Kalmakanda Circle).

"When they were returning home, a Birisiri-bound truck from the opposite direction collided with the pick-up vans, and another sand-laden truck hit the vans from behind, leaving three dead on the spot and injuring others," said Superintendent of Netrakona Police Md Akbar Ali Munshi.

Of the injured, two died on the way to a local hospital, said the SP.

The other injured were admitted to Purbadhala Health Complex and Durgapur Upazila Health Complex in Netrakona. Of them, three were referred to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital as their condition deteriorated, the official also said.

On information, police and fire service personnel from Durgapur and Mymensingh rushed to the spot and recovered the bodies.

Police also seized the trucks and arrested one of the drivers while the other managed to flee.

Md Anwar Hossain, chairman of Gouripur union parishad, said most of the victims belong to Shalihor village under the union, adding that he visited the spot soon after the incident.

In Rajshahi, seven people, including six of a family, died as a private car carrying them hit a roadside tree and turned turtle in a roadside ditch in Karipur area under Godagari upazila around noon.

They were all going to a wedding ceremony.

The dead were identified as Hosne Ara Khatun, 32, her husband Mosabbir Hossain Akash, 35, their four-month-old son Adib Al Hasan, seven-year-old daughter Mufsira, Hosne's younger sister Ashia Begum, 28, and cousin Atia Akhter, a student of Rajshahi Womens' Polytechnic Institute and the car driver Mahbubur Rahman Rajib, 40.

Three others were injured.

Four were residents of Debishingpara of Rajshahi city, while Ashia lived in Dhaka.

Quoting the victim's family members and witnesses, police said the victims started from Rajshahi city and were heading towards Mohisalbari area under Godarigari upazila to attend a family member's marriage ceremony.

At around 12:30pm in Kazipur area, the driver suddenly lost control of the car and it hit a roadside tree, before falling into a ditch.

After the accident, firefighters from Godagari Fire service unit rescued the victims and took them to hospital. Of them, Rajib, Akash and Asia died on the spot, while four others succumbed to their injuries in Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH).

Iftekhayer Alam, additional superintendent of Rajshahi District police, said, "We're still investigating the accident."

Meanwhile in Cumilla, three men were killed and some 15 passengers injured when the driver of a Dhaka-bound bus lost control of the vehicle and ran over a wayfarer and fell into a roadside ditch at Jinlatoli of Daudkandi on Dhaka-Chattogram highway at around 7:00am yesterday.

The deceased were identified as Shahid Ullah,65, son of late Mofiz Uddin of Chandara of Daudkandi Cumilla and two passengers Shafikul Islam,31, son of Shahalam of Dhaka's Keraniganj and Ramjan Ali,40, son of Abu Taher of Kathaltoli of Sirajdikhan of Munshiganj.

Sergeant Alamgir Hossain, of Daudkandi Highway Police Station, said, "A picnic bus returning from Cox's Bazar was being recklessly driven when the driver lost control and ran over a passerby before falling into a roadside ditch.

"Daudkandi Highway Police, along with firefighters and locals, rescued the injured passengers and send them to Daudkandi upazila health complex in Gouripur. The bus was recovered from the ditch after a couple of hours and the bodies were handed over to relatives."

In Manikganj, a motorcyclist was killed when a bus hit his motorcycle from behind at Falsatia Bus stand area on the Dhaka-Aricha highway under Shivalaya Upazila yesterday morning.

The deceased was identified as Masud Rana Jibon, 25, a resident of Karchabanha village under Manikganj sadar upazila.

Police said the victim was going to Paturia Ghat when the speeding bus hit his motorbike around 10:30am leaving him dead on spot.

The body was recovered and sent to the District Sadar Hospital for autopsy. Police seized the bus, but its driver and his helper managed to flee, said Basudeb Sinha, in-charge of Balgail Highway police outpost.

(Our Rajshahi, Cumilla and Manikganj correspondents contributed to this report.)