Road crashes killed at least 10 people were killed and 50 others wounded on Jamuna Bridge in the northern part of Bangladesh. The accident took place due to dense fog on Saturday. Police said the accidents took place between pillar 30 and pillar 40 of the bridge due to heavy fog. Among the victims, there was Sharif Rana, son of land minister Shamsur Rahman Sharif, said Sirajganj police superintendent Miraj Ahmed. Kodda traffic police outpost sub-inspector Abdur Rashid said a Dhaka-bound bus of Sarkar Paribahan from Pabna hit a cattle-laden truck near pillar 40. In minutes, another bus hit the bus of Sarkar Paribahan and it overturned on bridge leaving four people dead. Hearing the news of accident, police and fire service rushed to the spot and midway a fire service van hit a police van leaving five law enforcers and rescuers injured.
Quoting Bangladesh Bridge Authority executive engineer Abul Kalam Azad, the country’s leading English newspaper New Age reported the first accident took place between pillar 30 and pillar 40 at around 7:30am. Before managing the accident, more 16 vehicles including two buses, several microbus, car and ambulance hit them near pillar 32 at around 9:30am leaving five people dead on the spot, he said. Officer-in-charge of Bangabandhu Bridge West police station Rakibul Islam said nine people died on the spot in the two accidents. Bodies of the deceased and the injured people have been sent to Sirajganj General Hospital and Tangail General Hospital. Sirajganj civil surgeon Ashrafuddin said 15 of the injured people have been admitted to Sirajganj General Hospital and most of them were critically injured. One of the unidentified injured man died at a hospital. The accidents triggered severe traffic congestion on the both ends of the country’s longest bridge. Traffic sergeant Habibul Islam said they were trying hard to manage the traffic.