Buses speeding, moving on wrong side caused Faridpur accident: Police

Buses speeding and moving on the wrong side of the road caused the road accident that killed five people and left 27 others injured in Faridpur Sadar upazila early Tuesday, police said.

Maruf Hossain, assistant superintendent of Faridpur Highway Police, said a Jhenaidah-bound bus of Green Express and a Dhaka-bound bus of Khagrachhari Paribahan collided while carrying some 40 brick kilns workers when the Green Express bus was running on wrong side in Mallikpur area of Faridpur Sadar at around 4am.

"Speeding and moving on the opposite side was responsible for the accident that claimed five lives, including the supervisor and helper of the Khagrachhari Paribahan."

The deceased were identified as Abu Bakkar, Babu, Pikul, supervisor Md Mohsin and helper Nahid.

The workers were going to Dhaka from Shyamnagar upazila in Satkhira to work at brick kilns in Dhaka, the police official said, adding that most of the workers were asleep during the accident.

The injured were admitted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College Hospital in Faridpur while six of them were in critical condition, he said.

One of the injured was shifted to Dhaka for better treatment, said Dr Mahmuduzzaman, a physician of the hospital.

Faridpur Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Kamrul Hasan Molla and Superintendent of Police (SP) Md Abdul Jail visited the spot in the morning.

The DC said each family of the deceased was given Tk25,000 and each family of the injured Tk10, 000.

He said a probe committee will be formed to find out the cause of recurring accidents there.

District labour organisations suggested appointing two drivers for a long-route journey as driving while being drowsy could be a prime reason behind the accidents.