A bus carrying students from the Islamic University (IU) of Kushtia lost control and overturned in a rice field, leaving at least six students injured. The incident occurred at around 10:30am on Tuesday in the Bittipara area of Kushtia Sadar upazila, along the Kushtia-Jhenaidah highway.
According to local authorities, the bus, which was traveling from Kushtia city to the university, veered off the road and fell into a rice field after losing control. Passersby and local residents quickly rushed to the scene and rescued the students from the overturned vehicle.
Injured student Munna described the scene, saying: “The bus was speeding, and it fell into the ditch while attempting to overtake another vehicle. It could have been a major disaster. We demand that unfit vehicles be removed from the road, and the condition of the road from the campus to Kushtia be repaired.”
Professor Dr Shahinur Zaman, the proctor of the university, expressed his condolences and said: “This is a tragic incident. We have taken necessary measures for the swift recovery of the injured students. Some students have sustained injuries, including glass shards in their legs, and if surgery is required, we will provide immediate assistance.”
Kushtia Highway Police Officer-in-Charge (OC), Syed Al Mamun, confirmed the accident, saying that the bus was en route to the university when it lost control in the Bittipara fields and overturned into a rice field. Police teams are currently investigating the incident.
In a separate tragedy, a farmer named Selim Hada, 40, was killed after being struck by a bus in Mirpur, Kushtia. The incident took place around 9:30am on the Kushtia-Meherpur highway near the Katlamari Jame Mosque in the Sadarpur Union.
Mirpur Thana Police Officer-in-Charge (OC), Mohammad Mominul Islam, confirmed the fatality. The victim, Selim Hada, was a resident of Katlamari Bazar Para in Sadarpur Union. According to police reports, Selim was crossing the road when he was hit by a passenger bus traveling from Kushtia to Meherpur. He was rushed to the Mirpur Upazila Health Complex but was declared dead by attending physicians.
Police have not yet apprehended the bus involved in the accident, and legal action is underway, according to OC Mominul Islam.
