Road crashes in four districts leave 21 dead

In the wake of recent casualties on roads, at least 21 people were killed and 53 injured in separate road accidents in Chattogram, Madaripur, Jashore and Rangamati on Thursday.

In Chattogram, at least nine people, including two women and a child, were killed after a passenger bus rammed a microbus on Chattogram-Cox's Bazar Highway at Chunati Jaillartek around 1:15am.

Cox's Bazar-bound 'Relax Paribahan' hit a microbus coming from the opposite direction, killing eight people on the spot and injuring four others, said Anwarul Haque, in-charge of Chunati police camp.

One of the injured died after being taken to Lohagara Upazila Health Complex.

Eight of the deceased were identified as Hazera Begum, 26, of Borohatia Laskarpara, Abu Taher, 22, of Chuti Khalifa Para of Lohagara upazila, Taslima Akter, 20, of Cox's Bazar district, Taslima's daughter Sadia, 2, Taslima's mother Mamtaz, 45, Nurul Huda, 25, of Chakaria, Afzal Hossain Sohel, 30, of Lohagara upazila and Sayem, 22, of Banshkhali upazila.

In Madaripur, seven bus passengers, including two women, were killed and 30 others injured after a bus plunged into a roadside ditch on Dhaka-Barishal Highway at Kolabari in Madaripur Sadar upazila at noon.

The deceased were identified as Hasia, 50, resident of Amratola village, Abbas, 30, resident of Pantapara village, Nayan, 30, Ranu Begum, 30, residents of Khoiyarbhanga village, and Habi Hawlader, 50, Sharif, 13, Ambia, 65, residents of Atipara village.

The bus was carrying a group of Muslim devotees from a religious festival in Sadarpur upazila in Faridpur. "It fell off a bridge after being hit by a truck around 12:30pm, killing three passengers on the spot," said Kamrul Hasan, officer-in-charge of Madaripur Sadar Police Station.

Four of the injured succumbed to their injuries at hospital, reports UNB.

In Jashore, four people were killed in two separate road crashes in the Sadar upazila's Chaulia and Jashore Bus Terminal.

Three were killed and 15 others injured after a Jashore-bound truck collided head-on with a human hauler in Chaolia on Jashore-Khulna Highway around 11:00am.

Two of the deceased were identified as Alek Sarder, 55, of Narendrapur village in sadar upazila and Subrata Biaragi, 25, son of Subhash Bairagi of Gabukhali village in Monirampur upazila.

In a separate accident, a cyclist died after being run over by a truck in the bus terminal area, said Samir Kumar Sarker, officer in-charge of Kotwali Police Station.

In Rangamati, a construction worker was killed and five others injured when a jeep overturned in Agoijjya of Baghaichhari upazila.

The deceased was identified as Zia Majhi, 45, of Durgapur upazila in Netrakona district.

Sub-Inspector of Sajek Police Station Kamruzzaman said 35 construction workers were going to Machalong on two jeeps.

Around 2:00pm, one of the jeeps overturned on the hilly road killing one on the spot.

Five other workers were severely wounded, police said.