At least 14 people, including four of a family, were killed and four others injured when a bus and a pickup van collided head-on on the Khulna-Dhaka highway at Dignagar Tentultala point in Kanaipur under Sadar upazila in Faridpur Tuesday morning.
All the deceased were passengers of the pickup van.
The bus involved in the accident did not have updated fitness certificate, tax token and route permit, while the pickup van was carrying passengers in violation of law, according to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority.
The bus had been running violating different sections of the Road Transport Act, 2018 for three to four years.
A probe committee has been formed.
The deceased include four of a family鈥擬illon Mollah, 55, his wife Sumi Begum, 30, their sons Ruhan Mollah, 8, and Abu Sinan,聽 3. They were from Boalmari upazila in the district.
The other deceased are Morzina Begum, 73, Tabibur Rahman, 55, Nazrul Islam, 35, Jahanara Begum, 45, Sonia Begum, 28, Nurani, 2, Kohinur Begum, 60, Shukurnessa, 70, Surjya Begum, 40, and Iqbal Hossain, 25.
Karimpur highway police officer-in-charge Md Salauddin Chowdhury said that 11 died on the spot and two died while undergoing treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.
鈥業qbal Hossain died last while being taken to a Dhaka hospital,鈥� he said, adding that then his body was taken to Faridpur.
Salauddin said that they handed over 13 bodies to the families, while handing over the last body was underway.
He said that the four injured were now taking treatment at the BSSMU.聽
According to the local people and police, a pick-up van coming from Alfadanga of Faridpur collided head-on with a Magura-bound bus of Unique Paribahan from Dhaka.
Faridpur deputy commissioner Kamrul Ahsan Talukder said that on information they rushed to the spot.
鈥楢 five-member committee, headed by the additional district magistrate, has been formed to investigate the incident,鈥� he said, adding that the committee has been asked to submit report within three working days.
Superintendent of police Mohammad Morshad Alam told 抖阴精品 that the process of filing a case was underway.
鈥楾he district administration has provided Tk 20,000 for the burial of the victims and Tk 10,000 in cash for treatment of the injured,鈥� the SP added.
He said that if the families of the victims apply under the Road Transport Act, 2018, the district administration would pay Tk 5 lakh to the families of the deceased and Tk 3 lakh to the families of those injured.
In another incident, at least two passengers died and 20 others injured in a head-on collision between two buses at Tarakanda upazila of Mymensingh on Tuesday, the United News of Bangladesh reported.
In the accident, a Dhaka-bound bus collided with a Sherpur-bound bus near Kodaldhar Bazar in the upazila at 8:30am, said Tarakanda police officer-in-charge Wazed Ali.
The police and fire service personnel jointly launched rescue operations.
Among the injured, 16 passengers have been admitted to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, said the police official.
Meanwhile according to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, the fitness certificate of the Unique Paribahan bus (DHAKA METRO-BA-11-1759) expired on December 15, 2020, while the validity of tax token expired on November 24, 2020 and that of route permit expired on December 15, 2021.
The bus owner is Md Shamsul Huda, from Tejgaon in Dhaka.
According to section 75 of the Road Transport Act 2018, if anyone drives a motor vehicle with an expired fitness certificate, he or she will face maximum six months in prison or a fine of Tk 25,000 or both.聽
Section 76 of the act reads that one will be fined maximum Tk 10,000 if he or she drives a motor vehicle with an expired tax token.
Section 77 of the act says that the offence of driving a motor vehicle with an expired route permit incurs maximum three months in prison, or a fine of maximum Tk 20,000, or both.
Though the pickup van (JESSORE-NA-11-1339) has updated fitness, tax token and route permit papers, by carrying passengers it had violated law as it is permitted to carry goods only.
Rangs Motors of Motijheel area in the capital owns the pick-up van, said BRTA officials.