Disasters & Accidents

At least 19 killed as bus veers off highway into ditch in Bangladesh

Dhaka, Mar 19 (EFE).- At least 19 people died and 12 were injured Sunday after a bus veered off a highway in Bangladesh and plummeted into a ditch, authorities told Efe.

The accident took place at 7.40 AM (GMT +6) in the Kutubpur area, located in the central district of Madaripur when a bus carrying more than 30 passengers plunged into a roadside ditch, district police officer Mofazzal Haque said.

At least 19 people have died, 17 of them on the spot and another two in a hospital, while another 12 were injured and taken to a medical center, superintendent of the Madaripur Police, Masud Alam, told Efe.

Alam said that initial investigations suggested that the accident could have occurred due to excessive speeding.

The bus deviated almost 200 meters from the road after snapping the railing, he added.

Road accidents are frequent in Bangladesh due to the bad state of the roads, traffic congestion and a disregard for traffic regulations.

Nearly 10,000 people were killed and 12,356 injured in 6,749 road accidents across the country in 2022, according to data compiled by the Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh. EFE

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