At least 12 passengers of a microbus were killed and 30 others injured when their microbus collided head-on with a bus on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Belabo upazila of Narsingdi on Sunday morning.
The deceased have been identified as Hasan Miah, 40, his wife Halima, 25, son Irfan, 8, sister-in-law Jhuma, 16, and their relatives Manik, 45, Masia, 35, Hira, 35, Amena Begum, 32, Jannat Begum, 35, Sharmin Akhter, 23, Antar, 10 and Nazmul, 10.
The injured people were admitted to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital and two local hospitals, police said.
“The deceased were going to Kishoreganj from Dhaka by the microbus to attend a family programme. The microbus collided with a bus in Darikandi area of the upazila around 6:45am, leaving them dead on the spot,” said Bhairab Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mizanur Rahman.
Police seized the bus, but the driver managed to escape, the police official said. “A probe committee has been formed to investigate the accident,” said District Additional Deputy Commissioner Md Mozammel Haque.
The victims’ families were given Tk 5,000 each for burial,” he said.
Belabo Police Station OC Badrul Alam said, a Dhaka-bound bus of ‘Agradut Paribahan’ from Bhairab collided with the micro at Darikandi around 7:30am, leaving 12 passengers of the microbus dead on the spot.
Following the accident, traffic movement on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway remained suspended for two hours, the police official said.
Police with help of locals conducted the rescue operation and removed the damaged bus and microbus from the road, the OC said.
The bodies were sent to a hospital in Bhairab Bazar for autopsy, he added.
