3 die as truck crashes into bus in Gopalganj

Three people have been killed and at least 20 others injured after a head-on collision between a bus and a truck in Gopalganj.

The accident occurred around 8:30pm on Thursday in the Milton Bazar area of South Fakura village on the Dhaka-Khulna Highway in Kashiani Upazila, according to Khondkar Hafizur Rahman, chief of Kashiani Police Station.

The dead have been identified as truck driver Shamim Molla, 25, bus helper Rabbi Molla, 17, and bus passenger Manos Sarkar, 41. Shamim hailed from Madaripur’s Kalkini Upazila while Manos hailed from Khulna’s Dakop.

OC Khondkar said that the New Baleswar Paribahan bus had left from Bagerhat’s Mongla and was headed to Chattogram. "As it reached the Milton Bazar area, it crashed into a speeding truck travelling in the opposite direction.”

“Both vehicles were damaged and truck driver Shamim Molla and bus passenger Manos Sarkar died on the spot. At least 21 others were injured in the incident.”

The injured were admitted to the Gopalganj 250-Bed General Hospital and the Kashiani Upazila Health Complex for treatment. Bus helper Rabbi died around 1:30am on Friday at Gopalganj General.

The bodies of the dead are being kept at Gopalganj General, the OC said.

Traffic ground to a halt after the accident as both vehicles remained on the road. This led to hundreds of vehicles stalling for a 10km-stretch on either side of the highway.

Shiplu Ahmed, deputy assistant director of the Gopalganj Fire Service and Civil Defence, said: “We went to the scene after a crash between a bus and a truck was reported. Later, with the help of police and locals, we sent the injured to hospitals in Gopalganj and Kashiani. Two to three of them were in critical condition.”

“Around two and a half hours later, about 11pm, recovery operations were completed and it was possible to remove the damaged bus and truck from the road.”

The traffic on the highway has since returned to normal, the Fire Service official said.