12 killed in road accidents

At least 12 people were killed and 32 others injured in separate road accidents in Chittagong, Sylhet, Barisal, Brahmanbaria and Thakurgaon yesterday.
UNB from Chittagong reports: Four people, including a woman, were killed and one person was injured as a bus hit a CNG-run autorickshaw at Chhotokumira in Sitakunda upazila yesterday.
Two of the deceased were identified as Nila Begum, 31, and Selim, 36, of Bashbaria village in the upazila while the identity of two others could not be known immediately.
Police and Fire Service sources said the Chittagong-bound bus from Dhaka hit the autorickshaw from behind at about 2:00pm, leaving Nila and Selim dead on the spot and injuring three others.
The injured were rushed to Chittagong Medical College Hospital in a critical condition where two of them succumbed to their injuries.
Hearing the death news, the agitated people ransacked the bus. The driver, however, managed to flee the scene.
Meanwhile, Four people were killed and 30 others injured in separate road accidents on Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Sylhet.
The dead were identified as Maulana M Khalilur Rahman, 35, of Gabhurtuki village, Haji Rajmatullah, 55, of Kamargaon village in Osmaninagar thana, Mujaheed Ali, 30, of Kharjan village in Biswanath upazila and Jahan Mondal, 5, son of Turan Mia of Konarchar village in South Surma upazila.
Police and witnesses said a Sylhet-bound truck ran over two pedestrians and then plunged into a roadside ditch at Burunga in Balaganj upazila about 6:00am as its driver tried to overtake another truck.
“The pedestrians -- Maulana Khalil and Haji Rajmatullah -- died on the spot,” said a witness.
Traffic on Dhaka-Sylhet highway was disrupted for about two hours following the accident.
In another accident, a passenger bus collided head-on with an auto-rickshaw and then skidded off the road at Atirbari in South Surma upazila about 3:00pm.
“Autorickshaw passenger Mujaheed Ali died instantly while 20 passengers of the two vehicles were injured in the collision,” said a witness.
The injured were admitted to the hospital and other clinics in the city.
Besides, Jahan Mondal died on the spot when a bus ran him over and overturned on the road at Konarchar in South Surma upazila at 12:00noon.
At least 10 bus passengers were also injured in the road crash.
A Correspondent from Barisal adds: A student of Kashipur High School and College in Barisal city was killed in a road accident around 12:00 noon and another seriously injured.
Bellal, student of the college died on the spot while Jubair was rushed to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital with injuries. Both of them are students of Class IX students.
The accident took place when a passenger bus hit their bicycle.
Following the accident, students of the college put up a barricade on Barisal-Dhaka highway disrupting traffic movement.
Barisal City Corporation Mayor Shawkat Hossain Hiron visited the spot and assured of taking action against the persons responsible for the accident but the students stuck to their decision of continuing the road blockade.
Meanwhile, a shopkeeper identified as Quddus Munshi, 50, was killed under the wheels of a brick-laden truck near Kashipur Bazar.
He met the accident when Quddus was returning home from his shop around 1.45:00pm.
Our correspondent from Brahmanbaria adds: One person was killed in a road accident as a truck knocked a rickshaw from behind on Chandura-Azampur Road near Azampur Bazar under Akhaura upazila on Friday night.
The dead was identified as Md Abdul Aziz, 60, of Azampur village.
According to witnesses and police, the accident occurred when a speeding truck hit a rickshaw while it was crossing a turning near Azampur Bazar, leaving rickshaw passenger Aziz dead on the spot.
Akhaura police rushed to the spot and seized the truck and rickshaw.
Our correspondent from Thakurgaon says: A motorcyclist was killed in a road accident on Pirgonj-Birgonj road at Ghorapir village under Pirganj upazila in Thakurgaon yesterday.
The victim was identified as Jakir Hossain, 40, son of late Abdus Sattar of Bhodrapara village in the upazila.
Police and locals said the accident took place about 6:00pm on Pirgonj-Birgonj road when a motorcycle collided head-on with a Pirganj-bound tractor, leaving motorcyclist dead on the spot.