Roof of passenger bus blown off in collision with van in Srinagar
Munshiganj (South) Correspondent
The roof of a passenger bus Barishal Express was blown off in collision with a covered van injuring several passengers at Srinagar in Munshiganj on Thursday.
Despite this, the driver did not stop the moving bus and drove the roofless vehicle for five kilometers, finally stopping near the Siddiqia Madrasa in Kumarbhog area of Louhajang upazila. He was forced to halt the bus due to public outrage. There were around 60 passengers on board.
The incident occurred at around 9:30 pm on Thursday at Samashpur on the Dhaka-Mawa Expressway.
Passenger Ahmed Ali said the bus had departed from Saydabad, Dhaka for Barishal around 8:30 PM. About an hour later, after entering the Dhaka-Mawa Expressway, it first collided with a microbus, though no major damage occurred. Just two or three minutes later, it collided with a covered van, which caused the entire roof to be blown off. Several passengers were injured at this point. Even then, the driver did not stop and continued driving the damaged bus for 5 kilometers to the Kumarbhog area of Louhajang. Locals blocked the road and forced the bus to stop. The driver then fled the scene. “There were at least 60 of us on the bus. We survived by the grace of God,” Ahmed said.
Abdul Kader Jilani, OC of Hasara Highway Police Station said, the Barishal Express first hit a microbus at Samashpur in Srinagar around 9:30 PM. It then collided with a covered van, resulting in the bus roof being torn off. Despite the passengers’ screams, the driver did not stop and avoided the Padma Bridge by turning left from Mawa intersection onto Louhajang Road. Locals eventually intercepted the bus in front of Siddiqia Madrasa in Kumarbhog, safely evacuating the passengers.
OC Zakir Hossain of Padma Bridge North Police Station said that while locals detained the bus, the driver managed to flee. One seriously injured person was treated at Srinagar Upazila Health Complex and later transferred to Dhaka. The remaining passengers were given first aid and sent to their destinations on another bus.
