At least 17 people have been killed after a passenger bus fell into a roadside pond in southern Bangladesh, police say.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Officer Gautam Kumar said on Saturday the bus carrying almost 50 passengers veered out of control and fell into the water near the southern Jhalakathi district town, more than 130 kilometres southwest of the capital Dhaka.
He said local residents and members of the Fire Service and Civil Defence emergency department came to the victims' aid.
Twelve people died at the scene and five died later in hospital.
Another 20 were being treated at Jhalakathi hospital.
Kumar said the accident occurred in the morning as the driver lost control of the vehicle after one of its tyres exploded on a regional highway.
The bus was en route to the Jhalakathi district headquarters from Bhandaria township, he said.
Deaths from road accidents are frequent in Bangladesh due to lax implementation of laws, poor road conditions and reckless driving.
Road Safety Foundation, a civil group that monitors accidents in Bangladesh, reported more than 7700 deaths in some 6829 road crashes in 2022.
Australian Associated Press
