Six killed, few injured in Madaripur bus crash

Six people were killed and an unspecified number of others injured as a bus rammed an auto-rickshaw and crashed into a roadside ditch at Ghatak Kanda in Madaripur Sadar upazila on Sunday.
Identities of the deceased could not be known immediately, police said as all were busy rescuing those trapped under wreckages and sending the injured for treatment.
Talha Bin Jashim, an official of the Fire Service and Civil Defense (Media cell), said the bus of 'Sarbik Paribahan' skidded off the Dhaka-Barisal Highway around 5:25pm, leaving six dead on the spot in the fatal accident.
Police and witnesses said the passenger bus lost control and careened before crashing into a roadside ditch, smashing a battery-run rickshaw in its path.
The impact was immediate and brutal: six people died instantly and several others were left injured.
Locals who witnessed the scene described a chilling moment.
"The bus, travelling from Madaripur to Dhaka, veered off the road without warning, tilting dangerously before landing in the ditch," says a spot account of the accident.
The rickshaw, a small three-wheeler carrying three passengers, had no chance to escape.
Its fragile frame was crushed under the heavy wheels of the bus. Eyewitnesses said the cries of the injured and the terrified shouts of bystanders filled the air.
Fire Service and Highway Police teams rushed in. They pulled survivors from the wreckage.
The injured were rushed to Madaripur 250-bed General Hospital, while the bodies of the deceased were recovered and sent to the morgue.
Officer-in-Charge Mamun Al Rashid of Madaripur Mustafapur Highway Police Station said an investigation was underway to determine why the bus lost control. "Our first priority was to rescue the injured and recover the deceased. The cause of the accident is being examined."
The accident has left the local community shaken. Residents say the highway is one of the busiest in the region, yet safety measures are minimal.
"It was terrifying," said one witness. "People were screaming, some lying motionless, some trapped under the wreckage. It's something I will never forget."
As authorities continue their investigation, the tragedy highlights the fragile line between routine travel and disaster on roads.

talhabinhabib@yahoo.com