News in Brief(2023-08-26)

13 Covid cases reported
Bangladesh has recorded 13 new cases of Covid-19 in a day, taking the overall tally of infections to 2,045,255. The death toll from the disease remains unchanged at 29,476 inthe last 24 hours, according to the latest data released on Friday. As many as 602 samples were tested across the country, for a positivity rate of 2.16 per cent. Dhaka logged the most cases among the eight divisions with 10. Another 21 people recovered from the illness nationwide, bringing the total number of recoveries to 2,012,683. The latest figures put the recovery rate at 98.41 per cent and the mortality rate at 1.44 per cent. — bdnews24.com
Driver dies as his truck hits covered van in city
A driver has died after the rod-laden truck he was driving rammed a covered van in the city's Banani, reports bdnews24.com. The accident occurred around 4:30 am on Friday, said Sub-Inspector Ejaz Ahmed of Banani thana. The driver, Md Shahjahan (35), was a native of Mymensing's Gouripur. He was en route to Hazaribagh from Tongi. SI Ejaz said the truck crashed into the back of the covered van near the Masranga Television office in Banani. A critically injured Shahjahan was subsequently rescued and taken to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), where a doctor declared him dead. Both vehicles were seized, said Ejaz, adding the covered van driver had fled. Shahjahan's body has been kept in DMHC's morgue. — bdnews24.com
Green Line bus cathes fire en route to Barishal
An air-conditioned bus operated by Green Line Paribahan Ltd has been burnt in a fire en route to Barishal from Dhaka, reports bdnews24.com The bus caught fire around 12:15 am on Friday in Gournadi upazila, according to Sub-Inspector Tomal Sarker of the local highway police outpost. The incident halted traffic on the Barishal-Dhaka Highway for almost an hour, authorities said. The Green Line AC bus was transporting around 17 passengers to Barishal when the back of the vehicle caught fire due to a 'technical glitch'. "The flames swiftly engulfed the bus. The driver quickly hit the brakes and the passengers evacuated the vehicle immediately," said Gournadi Fire Service and Civil Defence Station Officer Bipul Hossain. Two firefighting units tamed the flames after a one-and-a-half-hour battle. — bdnews24.com