At least 19 people die after a bus runs off the road and falls 30ft into a ditch in Bangladesh
- Dozens of passengers were also injured, some of them in critical condition
- Police say the driver, who died in the accident, lost control of the bus after a tire burst
At least 19 people have been killed after a high-speed bus veered off a road and fell 30ft into a ditch in Bangladesh.
Dozens of people were also injured, some in critical condition, following the crash in Shibchar – around 80km from the capital Dhaka – amid warnings the death toll could rise.
The bus, which was carrying more than 40 passengers, was traveling along the new Padma River Bridge Highway when it ran over the railing and fell about nine meters into a roadside ditch, an official said. the police.
The driver, who was killed, appeared to have lost control of the vehicle after the bus tire burst, the official said, adding that the cause of the incident was under investigation.
Footage from the scene shows the bus has been torn apart as firefighters spray water on the burned vehicle.
Dozens of people were also injured, some in critical condition, following the Shibchar crash.
The bus, which was carrying more than 40 passengers, was traveling on the new Padma River Bridge Highway when the accident happened.
The driver, who was killed, appears to have lost control of the vehicle after the bus tire burst, police say
The cause of the incident is currently under investigation, Bangladesh Police officials said.
The bus reportedly ran over a railing before falling about nine meters into a roadside ditch
Large crowds also gathered around the crash, with the bus tipped to one side and its glass strewn across the roadside ditch.
Road accidents are common in Bangladesh, often attributed to reckless driving, old vehicles and poor safety rules, and kill thousands of people every year.
In 2018, a series of massive student protests sparked by the deaths of two teenagers forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government to approve increasing the maximum prison sentence from three to five years for causing death by driving. reckless.
