A head-on collision between a human haulier and a covered van killed seven people and injured 13 in Gazipur yesterday.
The human haulier was carrying four police officials and 13 detainees and was on its way to a Gazipur court from Sreepur model police station when the accident happened, Zahidul Islam, OC (investigation) at the police station, said.
Among the deceased, six were criminals and one was a police official, he said.
Four of the deceased were Momin Uddin, 32, Sohel Rana, 27, and Manik Miah, 30, and police constable Mostafa Kamal, 58. The others could not be identified immediately.
The accident took place around 4pm in Porabari-Masterbari area on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.
All the injured were taken to Shahid Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College in Gazipur.
Constables Ashraful Islam, 42, Anowar Hossain, 25, and Mostafa Kamal, criminals Monir Hossain, 22, and Saiful Islam, 20, and driver of the human haulier Julhas Uddin, 30, were transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where Mostafa died around 6:50pm, said Dr Abdus Salam, resident doctor at the Gazipul hospital.
Witnesses said Momin was driving the human haulier at the time of the accident, even though its original driver Julhas was present.
Sreepur police OC Motaleb Miah was closed and a three-member committee was formed to investigate the accident, said Gazipur Superintendent of Police Harun-or-Rashid. The probe body was asked to submit report in three workdays.
State Minister of Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal visited the injured at DMCH around 7:30pm. “We are investigating why such an accident happened. Whoever is found responsible will be punished accordingly.”