6 die in bus, auto-rickshaw collision

At least six people were killed and 10 others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a battery-operated rickshaw on the Dhaka-Barishal highway in Madaripur’s Sadar upazila yesterday afternoon.

Police said two of the deceased were identified as bus helper Pannu Munsi and Ruman.

The accident occurred around 5:25pm in the Millgate area of Ghatakchar union, said Mamun Al Rashid, officer-in-charge of Mostafapur Highway Police Station in Madaripur.

A Dhaka-bound Sarbik Paribahan bus from Madaripur veered into the opposite lane and collided head-on with the auto-rickshaw, the OC said.

The auto-rickshaw was completely mangled, and the bus plunged into a roadside ditch, leaving three people dead on the spot and 13 others injured. The injured were taken to Madaripur Sadar Hospital, where three more were declared dead, the OC added.

Following the accident, highway police and fire service personnel jointly carried out the rescue operation.

The bodies were later sent to Madaripur Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy, added the OC.