Picnic microbus plunges into river in Jamalpur
Thirteen students were rescued alive after a microbus plunged into a river from a bridge in Jamalpur on Sunday night.
However, driver Ruhul Amin, 50, died as his seatbelt could not be unfastened, said police.
The microbus with 13 students of Polisha High School was returning from a picnic spot in Gazni of Sherpur to the institution in Madarganj upazila of Jamalpur.
The incident happened around 9:30pm at Gunaritola village, around 3km off the school.
While the vehicle was crossing the river Jharkata, the driver lost control when he was halfway on the bridge, said Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Madarganj Police Station.
The microbus hit and broke the bridge's railing before it fell into the river, the OC quoted witnesses as saying.
Instantly, several people from a crowd at Gunaritola Bazar on the west bank jumped into the river and rescued the students one by one, said the police officer.
The students were given first aid at nearby clinics.
The microbus drowned about 10ft into the river, said OC Rafiqul Islam.
On information, a team of divers from fire service rushed to the spot, salvaged the vehicle and recovered the body of driver Ruhul Amin, said Afsar Uddin, senior station officer of Jamalpur Fire Station.
Meanwhile, Joynal Abedin, chairman of Gunaritola Union Parishad, said the concrete bridge has been in a dilapidated condition for a long time.
In Chattogram, a security guard was killed when a truck hit him at Jetty No-4 of Chittagong Port yesterday.
The victim -- Nizam Uddin, 31, from Kutubdia upazila in Cox's Bazar -- was talking rest, Bandar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohiuddin Mahmud quoted port sources as saying.
He was declared dead at Chattogram Medical College Hospital.
In Gopalganj, a biker was killed and his co-rider injured as the motorbike hit a roadside tree in Raghunathpur area of Sadar upazila on Sunday night.
Tariqul Islam, 23, from the town's Nichupara area, was declared dead at Gopalganj General Hospital.
The accident occurred as Tariqul lost his control over the motorcycle, said Monirul Islam, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station.
Dikjoy Hira, 23, from the same area, was undergoing treatment at the hospital, said the OC.
[Our correspondents from Jamalpur, Chattogram and Faridpur contributed to the report]
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