Two people, including the driver of an autovan, were killed when a passenger bus hit them in Madaripur. Two passengers of the autovan were injured. The accident took place at Bhangabridge area of Dhaka-Barisal highway around 10 am on Saturday.
Meanwhile, after the accident, the agitated locals blocked the highway by throwing tree trunks. Due to this, all types of vehicles were closed for about an hour and a half till 11:30 pm. Hundreds of passengers and transport workers in the south fell into extreme misery. Later the police went and normalized the traffic.
The deceased have been identified as Amir Byapari, 35, of Bara Dhanusa area in Baligram union of Dasar upazila of Madaripur and Shukur Ali Gazi, 30, of Karnapara village in the same upazila.
Speaking to police and eyewitnesses, it was learned that a bus of Eagle Paribahan was going from Dhaka to Barisal. The bus hit an autovan from behind in the Bhangabridge area of the Dhaka-Barisal highway. The driver of the autovan and three passengers fell on the highway. Shukur Ali was crushed by the wheel of the bus and died on the spot. The three injured passengers were taken to Madaripur Sadar Hospital in critical condition. Amir the merchant died there. Doctors said the condition of the other two injured passengers was critical.
Azizul Hawladar, an eyewitness to the accident, told Prothom Alo that the bus was speeding. It overtook a small pickup van in the Bhangabridge area and pushed the autovan. But the driver of the autovan was not at fault. He was driving on one side of the road.
Locals gathered at the spot after receiving the news of casualties in the accident. They got angry and left tree trunks on the highway and stopped the movement. This caused traffic jam in an area of two kilometers on both sides of the highway. A team of police from Dasar police station came to the spot. They assured to arrest the driver of the passenger bus. At around 11:30 pm, the agitated people removed the tree trunks from the highway and the traffic became normal.
Dasar police officer in charge (OC) said. Hasanuzzaman said the police had seized the Eagle Paribahan bus involved in the accident. It has been handed over to the highway police. Attempts are being made to arrest the driver.
