Picnic bus plunge kills 18 in Cox’s Bazar

DHAKA: Some eighteen people including seven of family were killed and 25 others injured in a picnic bus plunge in Matamuhuri River under Chakaria Upazila Monday morning.

Of the deceased, 15 were identified as Lal Mia, 70, his first wife Joynab Begum, 65,  second wife Mofiza Akter, 45, daughter Seuly Akter, 14, brother Abdur Rashid, 50, brother-in-law A Jalil, 55, grand daugther  Nusrat Jahan,7, and Afsar Uddin Paloan, 55, Iyes Ali, 60, Abdur Rouf 50, Hanif Mia, 45, Mohammad Ali, 50, all the residents of Noagao area under Joydebpur upazila, Iqbal Hossain, 28, son of Inal Hossain of Harial village, A Chhattar, 42,  son of Moin Uddin of Lagalia village and Latifa Begum, 45, wife of Idris Ali of Prohaladpur village in Sreepur Upazila in Gazipur, our Gazipur correspondent reports.

Chakaria police station OC Ranjit Kumar Barua told banglanews from the spot that a bus of Nirapad Paribahan from Gazipur heading to Cox’s Bazar plunged into the river after breaking the railing of Matamuhuri Bridge around 5:30am with 43 passengers, reports Cox’s Bazar correspondent.

Later, some 16 bodies were recovered and 27 more people were rescued in critical condition, the OC added.   

Injured were rushed to Chakaria Hospital and later all of them are being shifted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH).
 
Later, a child died on the way to CMCH.

CMCH police outpost In-Charge Jahirul Islam told banglanews that some 18 people, who injured in Chakaria accident, were admitted to CMCH where another, aged at 35, succumbed to his injuires around 10:00am, our Chittagong Correspondents report.
The injured are  Md. Saiful Islam, Ms. Hasan, 27, Saleha Begum, md Ali, 50, Md. Ajujat Ajmat, 35, Abdur Rahman, 45, Hafiz Uddin, 45, Md. Hanif, 35, Latifa Begum, 35, Lal Mia, 65, Md Halim, 35, Saidur Rahman, 40, Abdur Rouf, 42 and Sabuj.

Bangladesh Army and police wrapped up the rescue operation as no person was trapped in the bus.

The bodies were kept under police custody.

An injured person told banglanews that they were going to Cox’s Bazaar on Monday after visiting a shrine of Fatikchhari in Chittagong on Saturday from Gazipur.  

BDST: 1350 HRS, FEB 11, 2013
Edited by: Rubaiat Saky, Newsroom Editor-eic@banglanews24.com