Three passengers who survived a head-on collision between a bus and a sand-laden truck on the Natore-Pabna highway early Tuesday have said the bus was being driven by its supervisor while the driver and his assistant slept in the back seats, reports Bangla Tribune.
The RP Special Paribahan bus was being driven by supervisor Sohel Rana, 38, when the accident occurred in Natore, according to the survivors.
The crash occurred at around 4am in Bonpara, Baraigram upazila, killing 14 people, including Sohel Rana. At least 25 injured passengers were admitted to various hospitals with serious injuries, according to Bonpara Highway Police.
Sohel, a resident of Faradpur village in Godagari upazila of Rajshahi, had worked as a bus driver several years ago before becoming a supervisor around 2 years ago, according to his family members.
Ramzan Ali, 28, a passenger from Gomostapur upazila of Chapainawabganj, survived the crash but sustained injuries. He initially received treatment at Bonpara Patwari Hospital.
While traveling to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment, Ramzan said he had been sitting 2 seats behind the driver's seat.
“At around 3am, when the bus reached Ishwardi in Pabna, the driver got up from his seat. The supervisor then started driving the bus. The driver and his assistant closed the bus door and were sleeping in the back seats. About an hour later, the bus collided head-on with a sand-laden truck coming from the opposite direction,” he said.
Two other passengers, Yakub Ali and Abdus Salam, were also injured and received treatment at Bonpara Patwari Hospital. While undergoing treatment, they said the supervisor had been driving at reckless speed when the accident occurred, while the driver and helper were in the back seats.
The bus had departed from Barguna district town at around 7pm on Monday and stopped briefly in Ishwardi, Pabna. The supervisor began driving after the break, and the accident occurred some time later.
Sohel's body arrived at his village in Faradpur on Tuesday afternoon. Relatives mourned beside the body as villagers gathered to pay their respects.
Sohel's wife, Dolly Begum, said her husband had worked as a bus driver before becoming a supervisor around 2 years ago. Their family depended on his income, and she now faces an uncertain future with their children following his death.
Asked who was driving the bus at the time of the accident, Sub-Inspector Alamgir Hossain of Bonpara Highway Police Station said: “A case will be filed over the accident. An investigation will be conducted based on the case. Nothing can be confirmed about the matter before the investigation.”
