Big accident in Bangladesh: Passenger bus fell into roadside pond, 17 including eight women died

A passenger bus fell into a large roadside pond in southwest Bangladesh on Saturday. 17 people lost their lives in this accident. At the same time, more than a dozen have been injured.

Police said the accident occurred in Jhalkathi district when the bus carrying over 60 passengers was going from Bhandaria sub-district to Barishal, the south-west divisional headquarters. The bus fell into the pond after the driver lost control of the vehicle.

A police officer told reporters that divers retrieved 17 bodies and police cranes were trying to lift the bus from a pond filled with water after heavy rains. Police sub-inspector Gautam Kumar Ghosh said that eight women and three children were among the dead.

He said more bodies are feared trapped inside the bus. Twenty other passengers are being treated at the main government hospital in Jhalkathi. It is being told that there were 65 passengers inside the bus.

Passenger Russel Mollah (35), who was injured in the accident, said, ‘I was sitting right next to the driver’s seat. The driver did not take care while driving the bus. He said the driver was constantly talking to his assistant and asking him to accommodate more passengers. Mollah lost his father (75 years old) in the accident, while his elder brother is still missing.

A doctor at the health center said, “The patients we are treating have excessive water in their stomachs as the bus fell into the pond.”