Natore road accident: Bus supervisor was driving while driver slept in rear seat

Sohel Rana, the supervisor of an RP Special Paribahan bus, was driving when the vehicle met with an accident in Bonpara, Natore. The driver and his assistant were sleeping in the rear seats at the time, according to three passengers on the bus.

Sohel Rana, 38, was from Faradpur village in Godagari upazila of Rajshahi. He is survived by his wife and two children. His family members said he had previously worked as a bus driver but began working as a bus supervisor about two years ago.

Fourteen people were killed and at least 32 injured when an RP Special Paribahan bus collided with a sand-laden truck on the Natore-Pabna highway in Bonpara, Baraigram upazila, Natore, at around 4am on Tuesday.

Ramzan Ali, 28, from Gomostapur upazila in Chapainawabganj, was a passenger on the bus. He was injured in the accident and received treatment at Bonpara Patwari Hospital. He left the hospital at around 8:30am for further treatment.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, he said, “I was sitting two seats behind the driver. When the bus reached Ishwardi in Pabna at around 3am, the driver got up from his seat and the supervisor began driving. The driver closed the bus door, and he and his assistant went to sleep in the rear seats. About an hour later, when the bus reached Bonpara, it collided head-on with a truck coming from the opposite direction.”

Two other passengers, Yakub Ali and Abdus Salam, were injured and received treatment at Bonpara Patwari Hospital. While undergoing treatment, they said the supervisor was driving the bus at the time of the accident, while the driver and his helper were sitting in the rear seats.

The bus had departed from Barguna district town at around 7pm on Monday. After a brief stop in Ishwardi, the bus resumed its journey with the supervisor at the wheel. The accident occurred a short time later.

Sohel Rana’s body arrived at his home in Faradpur village around noon on Tuesday. At the house, family members and relatives were seen grieving, while neighbours and local residents gathered there.

Sohel Rana’s wife, Dolly Begum, said her husband had previously driven buses but began working as a supervisor about two years ago.

Asked about who was driving the bus involved in the accident, Sub-Inspector Alamgir Hossain of Bonpara Highway Police Station said the incident would be investigated and nothing can be said with certainty before the investigation.