‘Reckless driving’ claims 10 lives

Ten people, including a nine-year-old, died and 25 others were seriously injured as a bus of Jamuna Line Transport crashed into a tree in Sanuhar area of Ujirpur, Barishal, in the early morning yesterday.

Survivors of the crash said they repeatedly asked the driver to slow down the vehicle, but he did not listen and kept on driving recklessly.

They added the bus left Gabtoli bus terminal for Bhandaria, Pirojpur about an hour late and the driver was apparently trying to make up for the delay.

Police and family members identified nine of the deceased as Arafat Hossain, 9, Nazrul Islam Akon, 35, Tajne Ara Begum, 35, Halim Mia, 30, Sentu Mollah, 50, Ramzan Haldar, 38, Madhab Shil, 40, Reza Chokdar, 23, and the driver's helper Ibrahim Miah, 26.

Many of the injured, including driver Muhammad Arif, were admitted to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barishal.

Hospital officials said three of the injured were in a critical state.

"All the passengers were scared as the bus was moving too fast. We repeatedly requested him to drive slowly. But he would not listen," said Mohammad Selim, one of the injured at the hospital.

Most of the victims were residents of Pirojpur, Barguna and Barishal, said police.

Nasir Hawladar, a resident of Sundarkathi village in Bakerganj, Barishal, said, "My sister died on Saturday evening. My brother Ramzan was coming home from Dhaka to see her for the last time. But now he is also dead."

Ali Arshad, officer-in-charge of Ujirpur Police Station, said, "It appears from the wreckage that the vehicle was speeding."

Police and firefighters went to the scene and recovered the bodies soon after the crash around 5:30am.

Firemen had to cut part of the vehicle to free the bodies from the wreckage, he added.

Officials formed a three-member committee headed by Barishal Additional District Magistrate Rakibur Rahman to find out the cause of the crash.

The committee was asked to submit a report in seven work days.