12 killed

A crane gets the wreckage of the microbus out of the ditch and on to Dhaka-Mawa highway yesterday at Keraniganj on the outskirts of the capital. Inset, relatives of the accident victims mourn at Mitford Hospital in the capital.Photo: STAR

A rashly driven bus at Keraniganj early yesterday took the lives of nine of a family, their two house helps, and their driver when they were going to their village home to spend summer vacation.
The bus, while trying to overtake a truck, hit the microbus carrying the family head on and tossed it into a ditch on Dhaka-Mawa highway at Kadampur on the outskirts of the capital.
Of the 13 people onboard the microbus heading for Shariatpur, only a house help of the family survived with critical injuries. The rest died on the spot.
Hitting the microbus around 5:45am, the bus, which was heading for Dhaka, then hit a tree and fell halfway into the ditch. A few bus passengers suffered minor injuries.
Local union parishad member Babul Dewan quoting bus passengers said the bus got out of its lane to overtake a truck when it hit the microbus.
"The driver was driving rashly at high speed," Babul said quoting passengers.
"One of the passengers, sitting close to the bus driver, had asked the driver to slow down; the driver did not listen."
Babul said, "We hard the big bang and saw the driver and helper flee the scene by a bus heading towards Dhaka.
"We then rescued the victims and rushed them to the hospital with the help of police and Rapid Action Battalion personnel."
Shakhwat Hossain, officer-in-charge of South Keraniganj Police Station, said all the bodies were handed over to their relatives without autopsies.
"We are preparing to file a case against the bus driver and trying to identify him and trace him," he added.
The deceased were: Shahnaz Pervin Baby, 45, wife of Zakir Hossain Sardar, chairman of Arshinagar Union Parishad in Vedarganj upazila of Shariatpur; their daughter Lumaisa Lubab, 12, a class VIII student of Botsli Home Orphanage in Tejgaon; Zakir's elder sister Mina Begum, 47; Mina's son Sayem Hasan Babu, 22, a BBA final year student of North South University; Zakir's younger sister Rozina Begum , 35; Rozina's husband AFM Rezaul Amin Lenin, 37, an executive officer of South East Bank Motijheel branch; Rozina's seven-year-old son Eash; Rozina's nine-month-old daughter Ishra; Zakir's niece Tazrian, 12; house helps Moni, 16, and Khushi, 20; and microbus driver Sohel Rana, 35.
Lone survivor of the microbus Kohinur Akhter, 15, was undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Abdul Latif, Zakir's cousin, said Zakir's family lived on Indira Road in the capital while his two sisters Mina and Rozina lived in neighbouring flats in East Rajabazar.
Shafiqul Islam, younger brother of Shahnaz, said, "Every year family members get together at the village home during the summer. Family members of Mina and Rozina went to Shahnaz's in the morning. They set out early to avoid traffic."
Deceased bank employee Lenin's colleague Ashraful Islam said, "Lenin had taken a two-day leave from the office to join his in-laws. He was supposed to return on Saturday.
"Lenin had told us that he had to take the leave as his seven-year-old son Eash wanted to enjoy summer vacation together at his grandfather's home," said Ashraful.
Latif said the microbus had a Dhaka City Corporation sticker. Deceased Lenin's brother-in-law worked for the DCC, he added.