58 killed in road crashes during Eid, probe body formed

With the killing of 14 people in a road accident in Natore on the 4thday of Eid-ul-Azha, a total of 58 people lost their lives in road accidents across the country from Monday to Saturday, reports UNB.

The Natore crash also left 14 others injured on Natore-Pabna highway at Kadamchilan in Baraigram upazila on in the afternoon.

Five of the deceased were identified as Rajofa, 45, and Shefali Begum, 48, of Narayanpur village of Boraigram upazila in the district, Logena, 60, and Aduri Biswas, 35, of Jamaidigha village in the same upazila and Abdus Subhan, 75, of Pakshi in Pabna district.

The accident took place when a Bogura-bound bus of 'Challenger Paribahan' from Pabna hit a human-hauler (locally named as leguna) carrying 15 passengers around 4:10pm, leaving 13 passengers of the human-hauler dead on the spot and 15 bus travellers injured, said Biplob BijayTalukder, superintendent of Natore police.

Bonpara highway police recovered the bodies.

Meanwhile, the district administration formed a 3-member probe committee, led by additional district magistrate Mohammad Saiduzzaman, which has been asked to submit its report within five working days.

Besides, the local administration announced to provide TK 20,000 to each of the deceased's families and Tk 10,000 to each of the injured victims' families.

Meanwhile, the roads and highways department formed a ten-member probe committee to investigate the accidents occurred across the country during the Eid vacation.

The committee was formed at the directive of road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader, said Abu Naser, senior information officer of the department.

The committee, headed by additional director Shafiqul Islam, was asked to submit its report within next 10 days, he added.

Earlier in the morning, two people were killed and 25 others injured in a road accident on Dhaka-Chattogram highway at Jimaltola in Cumilla's Daudkandi upazila.

In Rajshahi, Md Nazim, 50, and his grandson Arafat, 3, were killed and two others injured in a collision between a motorcycle and an auto-rickshaw in Katakhali area of the city on Saturday morning.

Earlier on Friday, at least six people were killed and two others injured as a bus hit a CNG-run auto-rickshaw on Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Lemua upazila on the 3rd day of Eid.

On Wednesday, at least six people, including a woman and a child were killed in separate road accidents in Cumilla, Kushtia and Laxmipur districts.

On Tuesday, at least nine people, including a schoolboy and a local BNP leader, were killed while 53 others injured in separate road accidents in Gopalganj, Narail, Rajshahi, Natore and Khagrachhari districts.

On Monday, at least19 people, including a woman and three children, were killed in road crashes in Narsingdi, Feni and Gaibandha districts.