Two Bus Helpers Killed, at Least 30 Passengers Injured in Head-On Collision in Natore's Baraigram
Two bus helpers were killed when two passenger buses collided head-on in Baraigram, Natore. At least 30 passengers were injured in the crash on Friday afternoon, several of them critically.
The accident happened at around 5:30pm on Friday (23 October) on the Natore-Dhaka highway near the Thana Mor area of Baraigram upazila. The two buses involved belonged to Desh Travels and Chameli Paribahan.
According to eyewitness Minarul Islam Milon, the Desh Travels bus was travelling from Rajshahi towards Dhaka, while the Chameli Paribahan bus was heading from Dhaka towards Chapainawabganj. The two buses collided head-on as they reached the Thana Mor area.
Many passengers from both buses were injured in the impact. Local people, police and firefighters rescued the injured and sent them to different hospitals.
Several of the injured are in critical condition, so fears over the death toll have not fully subsided, although so far only the deaths of the two helpers have been confirmed.
The identities of the two helpers killed were not immediately known, and work to identify them was under way.
As news of the crash spread, onlookers gathered at the scene. Traffic on both sides of the highway was disrupted and a tailback formed for a time.
Alamgir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Bonpara Highway police station, confirmed the accident. No detailed explanation of the cause was immediately available.
Head-on collisions involving passenger buses are a familiar pattern in Bangladesh's deadly road accidents. Because this crash involved two intercity buses at a busy afternoon hour, the number of injured also rose.
After the rescue work, efforts were made to restore normal traffic on the highway. The injured passengers are being treated in different hospitals, and informing their relatives has also become a priority.
Attention now turns to confirming the identities of the two helpers killed and to further news of the injured, as well as to whether the cause of the crash will be investigated and any action taken against those responsible.
