At least 11 people were killed and several others injured in two separate road accidents in Tarakanda and Phulpur upazilas of Mymensingh district on Friday.
In Phulpur upazila: The accident occurred when a passenger bus of Shyamoli Bangla Paribahan from Haluaghat hit a passenger-laden Mahindra (Three-wheeler) coming from opposite direction at around 8:30pm at Kaziakanda Indirarpar on Haluaghat-Mymensingh Highway of the upazila, leaving six people dead on the spot, including one woman.
Sadia Islam Sima, Phulpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), confirmed the matter and said several others critically injured were rushed to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH) and the Phulpur Upazila Health Complex.
Two of the injured succumbed to their wounds at MMCH, she added. The deceased were the driver of the Mahindra and seven passengers.
Five of them were identified as Farid Mia, 38, son of Jasim Uddin of Kaziakanda village in Phulpur upazila; Zahar Ali, 70, son of Moyez Uddin of Nishuniakanda village; Hasina Khatun, 50, wife of Abdul Quddus of Batta village; Shamsuddin, 65, son of the late Haji Jawan Ali of Kayarhati village in neighboring Haluaghat upazila; and Azim Uddin, 35, of Rangpur.
Md Abdul Hadi, officer-in-charge of Phulpur Police Station, said that the bus driver fled the scene immediately after the accident. Later, the angry crowd set the bus on fire, stopping traffic.
Upon receiving the information, police and fire service personnel went to the scene and normalised the situation, he said adding that legal action will be taken in connection with the incident.
Md Masud Sardar, assistant director of Mymensingh Fire Service Station, said that rescue team handed over six bodies to police and sent other injured to nearby hospitals.
In Tarakanda upazila: Three people were killed in a accident near Kodaldhar Bazar under the upazila. A Haluaghat-bound ambulance collided head-on with a passenger-carrying CNG-run auto-rickshaw near Himalaya Filling Station at around 5:30 pm. The deceased were Jabeda Khatun, 85, wife of the late Abdul Barek of Baratia village in Dhobaura upazila of the district; Rakibul Hasan, 15, son of Jamal Uddin of Madipur Sutarpara village in Phulpur upazila; and Mohammad Alam, 35, a resident of Shuilam Mugberiya village in Ghagra union in Mymensingh Sadar upazila.
Among them, Mohammad Alam was a driver of the CNG-powered auto-rickshaw.
Md Tipu Sultan, officer-in-charge of Tarakanda police station, said two auto-rickshaw passengers were killed on the spot, and the driver along with three other injured was taken to MMCH where one more succumbed to injuries. He said that the ambulance belonged to the nearby Haluaghat Upazila Health Complex. There was no patient in the vehicle. The driver fled immediately after the accident. Legal action is under process in this incident.
Following the Mymensingh road crashes, Mymensingh Police Superintendent Kazi Akhtar-ul-Alam visited both spots. He said that the accidents occurred due to the reckless driving. “Investigations are ongoing, and legal actions will be taken accordingly,” the SP assured.