At least 11 people, including men, women and children, were killed after a bus and a truck collided head-on in Jhenaidah on Wednesday.
At least 15 to 20 others were also injured in the tragic collision that took place on Jashore-Jhenaidah road near the Borobazar area at the district's Kaliganj upazila in the afternoon, police and firefighters said quoting witnesses.
As of 6:30pm, only one deceased was identified as 18-year-old college student Reshma Khatun.
Quoting witnesses, Borobazar highway police OC Sheikh Mejbah Uddin said the Kushtia-bound Gorai Paribahan bus fell on its side after its driver lost control while overtaking another vehicle around 3pm.
Also Read- Road crashes kill 484 in January
The truck, coming from the opposite direction, did not get a chance to avoid the collision. Nine people were killed on the spot after it crashed into the bus, he said.
Another victim succumbed to their injuries while being taken to a hospital.
Jhenaidah Fire Service and Civil Defence Deputy Director Shamimul Islam said, after being informed, a team from the Kaliganj upazila fire station rushed to the spot and started the rescue operation alongside locals.
Later on, two more teams from Jhenaidah and Jessore joined them, he said. The injured were taken to different hospitals.
The accident had halted traffic on the Jashore-Jhenaidah road for about one and a half hours.
Also Read- Report: 18 people killed every day on average in road accidents in 2020
At least 484 people were killed and 673 injured in 427 road accidents throughout Bangladesh only in January this year, marking an alarming rise in such incidents.
According to the Road Safety Foundation (RSF), the accident rate jumped by 25.58% and fatalities by 8.76% last month compared to the same period last year.
At least 445 lives were lost in 340 road accidents in January 2020.
Data gathered by Bangladesh Passengers Welfare Association also says that at least 6,686 people lost their lives and 8,600 were injured in a total of 4,891 road accidents in 2020.
It means on average, roughly 18 people were killed every day in road accidents across the country.