The New Nation - Internet Edition

Comilla Correspondent

At least twenty people were killed and another thirty injured yesterday when a bus fell into a roadside ditch following collision with another bus on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway at Illiotganj in Daudkandi upazila under Comilla district.

Witnesses and local police said a Dhaka-bound passenger bus of Starline Paribahan from Feni collided head on with the Comilla-bound passenger bus from Homna and plunged into the nearby ditch along with 40 passengers on board at about 9am.

The Comilla bound bus was also completely damaged.

Being informed, the highway police and firefighters rushed to the spot and recovered 20 bodies including those of two women, from the submerged bus.

The rescue team, with the help of local people, conducted the rescue operation.

Sources said the death toll is likely to rise.

The injured were admitted to Comilla medical College Hospital, Doudkandi upazila health complex and Chandina upazila health complex.

Ten among the departed bodies were identified as Madrasa teacher Habibur Rahman (57) of Nangalkot upazila, Nasiruddin(42) of Chagalnaiyya of Feni and his sister Salma (35), Sadhana Mahmud (55), bus driver Nayan (37) of Fulgazi of Feni, Abul Hasem (45), Akbar Hossain (34), Abdul Mannan (18), Bacchu Mia (50), Alam (30).

The identity of other dead bodies could not be ascertained.

The drivers of both buses managed to flee the spot after the accident. The movement of vehicles on the Dhaka-Chittagonj Highway was disrupted for an hour after the incident. A case was filed with the Doudkandi police station in this connection.

Two members of a family were killed and two others seriously injured yesterday as a pick-up van collided with a motorbike at Sadarghar on Laxmipur-Dhaka highway.

The dead were identified as Mizanur Rahman (48), an employee of LGED office of Subornochar uapzila of Noakhali and his son Mehraj (12).Mizanur's another son Anwar Hossain (10) and daughter Amena (8), were seriously injured.

The injured were admitted at Laxmipur Sadar Hospital.

Police said a pick-up van hit Mizanur's motorbike when going to Subornochar along with his four children riding on the motorbike.

A case was filed in this connection.

At least four passengers of a family were killed and another two critically injured while the microbus carrying them from Dhaka plunged into a roadside ditch on Choumuhani-Feni road at Shurerpul of Begumganj upazil under Noakhali district.

The dead were identified as Nasreen Akhter (32), and her three children, Somaiya Islam (7), Uday (12), and Rahman Islam (6).

The family members on Sunday midnight hired a microbus for going to Maijdee in Sadar upazila to attend a Qulkhwani of their relative.

As the microbus reached Shurerpul, the driver lost its control and the vehicle fell into the ditch at about 6:15am.

Nasreen and her three children died on the spot in the ditch water but her husband Aminul and Aminul's younger brother Shafiqul Islam were luckily unhurt.

Later, police with the help of local people recovered the bodies from the ditch.

The driver of the microbus escaped the accident jumping out from the vehicle.