At least 17 people were killed and 53 injured when a bus plunged into a roadside pond in Bangladesh’s southern Jhalkathi district on Saturday, police said.
“Among the dead are eight women and three children. 45 of the injured have been taken to a nearby government hospital,” District Police Officer Afroozul Haque Tutul told reporters.
The bus was heading from Bhandaria area of south-west Pirojpur district towards Jhalkathi district. The driver lost control and fell into the pond.
Police said the bus was overloaded, adding that a probe into the incident has been launched. “Police with the help of fire service and civil defense pulled the bus out of the water body and we are still working to see if there are any missing or dead,” officials said.
The number of road accidents in Bangladesh has increased alarmingly in the last few years. According to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, at least 504 people were killed and 785 injured in 562 road accidents across the country in June.
