8 killed, 20 injured in Natore road crashes

At least eight people, including two siblings, were killed and 20 others injured in two separate road accidents at Bonpara of Natore's Baraigram upazila on Saturday.

A bus of National Travels from Dhaka collided with a Dhaka-bound bus of Siam Paribahan on the Bonpara-Hatikumrul road at 11:30 am, leaving seven passengers dead and 20 others injured. 

Superintendent of Police (Natore) Liton Kumar Saha said after the collision, the Siam Paribahan bus hit a truck parked nearby and another bus fell into a roadside ditch and hit a tree.

On information, fire service members rushed to the spot and sent the injured to different nearby hospitals.

Six of the deceased died on the spot while another died at the hospital. The casualties might rise as a few more are in critical condition.

The deceased are Sadia Khatun, an eighth grader student, and her brother Kawsar Ahmed, a eleventh grader student of Natore's Lalpur upazila,  Mohona Akther Mili, wife of Ruhul Pramanik of Lalpur, Alamgir Hossain of the same area, Abdul Jalil of Tangail, Moshiur Rahman, assistant professor of Siraj-Ud-Dowla Government College in Natore, Mizanur Rahman of Magura. 

Abdul Jalil, the uncle of the siblings, said, "I can't accept such a tragic incident. My sister Helena is now speechless after losing her son and daughter. I don't know how she will bear the grief." 

The Superintendent of Police also said the two buses collided head-on due to turning on the highway, excessive speed and overtaking. 

The administration has provided Tk25, 000 to the families of the deceased each for burial and took steps for better treatment of the injured, said Natore Deputy Commissioner Shamim Ahmed. 

Munshi Shahbuddin, superintendent of highway police, said five dead bodies have already been handed over to the families. 

The process of filing a case with Baraigram police station is going on, he added.  

On the other hand, Shamim Ahmed, an official of Brac Bank, was killed in a motorcycle accident in Bonpara of Natore at around 9pm. 

He was heading toward Pabna from Rajshahi on a motorbike.  He fell down on the road after losing control over the steering and a vehicle ran over him, leaving him dead on the spot, said Bonpara Highway police station officer in charge Moshiur Rahman.