Joypurhat Correspondent 

A teenager named Ashiq (17) was killed in a head-on collision between a passenger bus and a motorcycle in Joypurhat. Two other motorcycle riders were seriously injured in the incident. After the accident, an angry mob set the bus on fire.

The deceased, Ashiq, was the son of Imran Hossain of Hatigara village in Joypurhat Sadar Upazila. He worked as a laborer at a food shop in the city.

The accident occurred in front of Kashiabari High School in the municipal area on the Joypurhat-Hili road around 10 am on Thursday.

According to police and local sources, a passenger bus of ZR Plus Paribahan (Dhaka Metro-B-11-2308) going from Joypurhat to Hili via Panchbibi reached in front of Kashiabari High School when it collided head-on with a motorcycle carrying three passengers coming from the opposite direction. The three passengers of the motorcycle were seriously injured. Later, the motorcycle driver, Ashiq, died on the spot.

The injured were identified as Naeem (22), son of Amjad Hossain, and Jihad (20), son of Mofizul Islam, both from the same village. Local people rescued them and admitted them to the 400-bed General Hospital in Joypurhat.

After the accident, local people seized the bus. At one stage, unknown persons among the agitated crowd set the bus on fire. Upon receiving the information, two units led by Joypurhat Fire Service Deputy Assistant Director Md. Shariful Islam went to the spot and brought the fire under control.

Meanwhile, upon receiving the information, police and traffic police reached the spot and brought the situation under control. Traffic on the Joypurhat-Hili road was closed for some time due to the accident, but it later returned to normal.

Joypurhat Traffic Police Inspector Ainul said that after receiving the information, the police went to the spot and normalized traffic. Efforts are being made to move the fire-damaged bus from the side of the road.