Helper was operating the crane

A helper was operating the crane when it dropped a girder of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project on a private car and killed five of its passengers in the capital’s Uttara area on Monday.

The main operator of the crane, Al Amin, was giving instructions to his assistant Rakib Hossain to operate the crane during the incident, said commander Khandaker Al Moin, director of Rapid Action Battalion’s (RAB) law and media wing.

The RAB official was speaking at a press conference at the force’s media center in Dhaka on Thursday. He disclosed that they have so far arrested 10 people over the incident.

Khandaker Al Moin said Alamin had a license to drive only light vehicles. After receiving training on crane operation in 2016, he worked on two or three projects. Later, he joined the BRT project as crane operator in 2022.

On the other hand, Rakib joined the BRT project as crane helper three months back. He received no training on crane operation.

Both Alamin and Rakib fled the scene after the accident took place on Monday. Five passengers of the car lost their lives in the accident while two others sustained serious injuries.

RAB arrested 10 people, including the crane operator and his assistant, over the incident from Dhaka, Gazipur, Sirajganj, and Bagerhat.