Faridpur bus crash: Father, son die en route to visit relative in hospital care

“My father’s gone, so is my brother and my mother’s not doing well. Uncle, they’re dead. I’m at the hospital, what can I do,” the cries of a grieving Md Sahed Sarder echoed in the halls of Faridpur Medical College.

Sahed was speaking over the phone, letting someone know of the tragedy that left his family in tatters after a local bus overturned on the Faridpur-Barishal Highway, killing seven people and injuring at least 30 people on Tuesday.

Sahed’s father Jowar Sarder, 65, and younger brother Iman Sarder, 35, were among the dead. His mother, Paruli Begum, is under hospital care in critical condition. They reside in a small village, Sheyarkandi, in Nagarkanda Upazila.

Many others among the injured were also under intensive care, according to doctors.

Jowar, Iman and Paruli were off to visit a relative at a hospital, according to Sahed’s family members. They had brought food cooked at home for the ailing relative, but, in a cruel turn of fate, their bodies are now waiting to be handed over from the hospital’s morgue.

Sahed, the eldest son of the family, rushed to the hospital after hearing news of the accident and, upon seeing the bodies, was reduced to tears. Overwhelmed by grief, Shahed spoke to the phone while lying helplessly on the floor of the hospital.

When approached, he fumed over the reckless driving of the bus driver.

He said, "Many people are losing their lives on the road from Muksudpur to Faridpur because of drivers. Some drivers drive without licenses and with little control. There is no one to supervise them. And that is why my father and brother lost their lives. They did not commit any sin by getting on the bus."

“The driver’s mistake has killed two [of my family members], and now I’m on the brink of losing my mother as well. If the driver had driven safely, my father and brother wouldn’t have died. I want justice.”

The Fire Service said, the Faridpur-bound Farabi Enterprise bus veered out of control in Bakhunda, hit a power pole, and fell into a roadside ditch, killing five people on the spot. Doctors declared two others dead after they were taken to the hospital.

Faridpur district administrator Mohammad Kamrul Hasan Molla and police officers rushed to the hospital after hearing the news.

Kamrul said a five-member investigation committee with Additional District Magistrate Mintu Bishwas as convenor had been formed to look into the incident. The committee has been tasked to submit a report in the next seven working days. The report and recommendations will provide a way forward.

Each of the families will initially be given Tk 25,000 for burial and later be provided compensation through the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority.