Five killed as passenger bus plunges into Rehmatkhali canal in Lakshmipur

Five people were killed when a bus of Ananda Paribahan lost control and fell into the Rehmatkhali Canal in the Chandraganj area of Lakshmipur Sadar upazila. The incident occurred today, Saturday, at around 8:30 am near Kafil Uddin Degree College.

The deceased were identified are Zainal Abedin ,57, Morshed Alam, 40, Md Majed, 30, Md Ripon, 40, of Shekpur village, Sadar, and Humayun Kabir of Naogaon. Humayun, who lived in Latifpur, Chandraganj, worked for a pharmaceutical company.

About a month ago, on 7 August, a microbus had also sunk in the same canal, killing seven members of the same family. That accident occurred almost one kilometre from today’s site, near Chandraganj East Bazaar, Noakhali.

Police and witnesses said the bus, carrying passengers from Noakhali to Lakshmipur, plunged into the Rehmatkhali Canal around 8:30 am. Local residents immediately attempted rescue operations and managed to save 14 people alive. Fire service personnel arrived at the scene nearly two hours later.

The delay in the fire service response sparked anger among locals, who claimed that the tardiness increased the casualties.

Traffic on the Lakshmipur–Dhaka regional highway was halted for about an hour following the incident, causing jams on both sides. Normal traffic flow was later restored with assistance from the army and law enforcement agencies.

Chandraganj police officer-in-charge, Fayzul Azim Noman, said that the bodies of five victims were recovered from the canal, and several others in critical condition were sent to Noakhali General Hospital.