Dhaka: At least 19 people were killed and dozens injured after a high-speed bus overturned and plunged into a ditch on a major expressway in central Bangladesh.
Anwar Hussain, a police official from Shabchar, where the accident took place, said the death toll could rise further as some of the injured passengers were in critical condition. This city is 80 km away from the capital Dhaka.
Hussain said the bus, carrying more than 40 passengers, broke the railing of the newly constructed Padma River Bridge Expressway and fell about 9 meters (30 feet) into a roadside ditch.
After the tire of the bus burst, it appears that the driver lost control of the vehicle, he said, adding that the cause of the accident was being investigated.
Road accidents are common in Bangladesh, often blamed on careless driving, old vehicles and poor safety regulations, killing thousands every year.
In 2018, a series of large student protests, triggered by the deaths of two teenagers, forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government to increase the maximum jail term for causing death by speeding from three. Can be approved for five years.
