Two people were killed after a “reckless” bus lost control and slammed into a pillar in the capital’s Banani area on Thursday afternoon, police said.
The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately.
The accident occurred around 4:30pm while the bus was attempting to overtake another vehicle, said on-duty Sergeant Anisur Rahman. He said the crash happened due reckless driving.
Several others were injured in the incident, including two journalists.
Rimmon Mahfuz, a journalist with Sangbad Pratidin, described the incident in a Facebook post, saying: “Almighty Allah saved me from a terrible bus accident. Alhamdulillah.”
Recounting the incident, he said the Gazipur-bound Bhuiyan Paribahan bus from Mohakhali suddenly lost control around 3:45pm and crashed into a foot overbridge pillar by the roadside.
“Two people died on the spot and several others were injured,” he wrote.
Mahfuz said he was travelling on the bus with Sangbad Pratidin Chief Reporter Ehsan Parvez Tuhin after boarding from Bijoynagar en route to Banani.
“As the bus was descending from the Mohakhali flyover, it suddenly rammed at high speed into the pillar of a foot overbridge in front of Chairmanbari Setu Bhaban,” he wrote.
“Before we could react, Tuhin bhai was thrown off. I held onto the front of the seat but still suffered severe blows to my knees and hands. There were screams as window glass shattered and fragments scattered.”
After getting off the bus, he said they saw the helper trapped underneath the vehicle and the body of an elderly man lying nearby, while locals rushed to carry out rescue efforts.
Both he and his colleague sustained deep cuts to their lower legs and received treatment near Banani, he added, expressing gratitude for surviving the crash and praying for the bereaved families.
