Three friends riding a motorcycle were killed after being hit by a bus in Wazirpur upazila of Barisal on Monday evening.
The accident occurred around 6pm in the Atipara area on the Barisal-Dhaka highway.
The deceased were Tawhid, Sourav, and Muttakin. They were all residents of the Wazirpur upazila.
Local residents said all three had appeared for this year’s SSC examinations.
Local businessman Selim Sardar, who witnessed the accident, said a Dhaka-bound Suravi Paribahan bus hit the motorcycle, throwing its three riders onto the roadside. They died on the spot.
The bus stopped about a kilometre north of the accident site. After seeing the bodies lying on the highway, the driver and helper fled the scene.
The accident caused several-kilometre-long traffic congestion on both sides of the highway. Police from Wazirpur Model Police Station arrived at the scene and cleared the congestion. Traffic returned to normal after about an hour.
Wazirpur police station Officer-in-Charge Rakibul Islam told Dhaka Tribune that both the motorcycle rider and the bus driver were at fault, saying both vehicles were travelling at high speed.
The bodies were handed over to highway police.