Deadly Crash in Rajshahi: Bus driver held for reckless driving

Police yesterday arrested the driver of the Hanif Enterprise bus that collided with a microbus in Rajshahi on Friday, leaving 17 passengers of the microbus dead, 11 of whom were burnt alive when the vehicle caught fire.

Md Abdur Rahim, 35, of Baroipara village of Puthia upazila, was arrested from Mahindra Bypass under Belpukur Police Station around 2:00pm, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) Golam Ruhul Kuddus said.

On Friday night, Sub-inspector of Rajshahi's Katakhali Police Station Nur Mohammad filed a case with the police station against Md Abdur Rahim, who was driving the bus that collided with the Toyota HiAce, the ADC said.

The driver was made the lone accused in the case for reckless driving, endangering human life and public safety and for committing "culpable homicide" which does not amount to murder, the police official said.

In the case statement, the plaintiff mentioned speeding and reckless driving of the Dhaka-bound bus from Rajshahi as reason behind the accident.

SM Manjur Rahman, Rajshahi branch manager of Hanif Enterprise, opposed the police version and said their driver had lengthy experience of driving heavy vehicles.

"We have talked with our coach driver. We visited the spot and talked to locals. We came to know that the allegations against our coach driver were not true," he said.

"Dhaka coaches have to have certain speed on the highways. But we learnt that the microbus was speeding and it was coming on the wrong lane of the highway.

"In order to avoid a head-on-collision, our driver swerved to the right of the highway, but the microbus moved and collided with our coach," Rahman said.

"We learned that the microbus was overcrowded," he added.

Talking to The Daily Star, RMP Commissioner Md Abu Kalam Siddique said the highway's speed limit was 40 kilometres per hour, but from CCTV footage suggest that the bus was over the limit.

"The coach hit the microbus so hard that it was thrown 20 metres, a fire broke out in the vehicle and quickly spread from its gas cylinder," the RMP boss said.

The driver of the microbus and all its passengers, but one, were killed in the accident.

The lone surviving passenger of the microbus is Pavel, 18, who has been undergoing treatment at the ICU of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.

Quoting doctors, police officials said his condition was critical.

Both of Pavel's parents -- Mokhlesur Rahman, 40, and Parveen Begum, 36 -- died in the accident, the police official said.

The police handed over all 17 bodies to their family members yesterday evening after the autopsy of the bodies was done and DNA samples collected at the RMC morgue.

Receiving the bodies, the family members broke down in tears.

Sohel went to the morgue to receive the body of his brother Abu Hanif, 25, of Pirganj in Rangpur district. Hanif was driving the black Toyota HiAce microbus.

"It was my brother's first trip with the microbus. It has turned into his last trip," Sohel said.

He said Hanif was hired as a driver after the vehicle's owner Rafiqul Islam, a motorcycle mechanic in Pirganj, bought it only five days back.

Hanif, who had been driving for the last seven years, was the lone bread earner for his family of a wife and four young sons, Sohel said.

Md Abdul Karim Sarker was receiving five bodies -- his daughters Shamsunnahar and Kamrunnahar, Shamsunnahar's husband Salahuddin, their son Sajid, 7, and daughter Safa, 2.

"I bade them farewell, I didn't know they were leaving forever," he said, adding that his daughters and their families were going to Rajshahi for sightseeing and to visit a friend's house.

Ful Mia, 40, his wife Nazma Begum, 37, their son Faisal, two daughters -- Sadia, 7, and Sumaiya, 4 – were members of another family who lost their lives in the accident, according to police.

Vuttu Mia, 45, his wife Mukta Begum, 40, and their son Yamin, 14, are also among the dead.

Other than the driver Hanif, there was Shahidul Islam, 46, who also perished in the accident.

The bus driver's helper and supervisor received minor injuries and were given first aid at RMCH. None of the bus passengers were hurt.