A speeding bus left a major expressway in central Bangladesh and plunged into a ditch, killing at least 19 people and injuring dozens, police said Sunday.
The death toll could rise further as some of the injured passengers are in critical condition, said Anowar Hossain, a police officer in Shibchar, where the crash took place. The city is 80 kilometers from the capital Dhaka.
The bus, carrying more than 40 passengers, fell about 9 meters into a roadside ditch after breaking through the newly constructed railing of the Padma River Bridge expressway, Hossain explained.
The driver, who died, appeared to have lost control of the vehicle after the bus’s tire burst, the official continued, adding that the cause of the accident was being investigated.
Road accidents are common in Bangladesh, often attributed to reckless driving, old vehicles and poor safety rules, which kill thousands each year.
In 2018, a series of massive student protests, sparked by the deaths of two teenagers, forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government to pass an increase in the maximum prison term from three to five years for causing death by reckless driving.
Source: CNN Brasil
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