 | 28 killed as train hits bus in Joypurhat
12 July, 2006
At least 28 passengers of a bus were killed and 30 others were injured when a train rammed into the bus standing on a level crossing due to engine failure at Akkelpur in Joypurhat yesterday.
The death toll might increase as the conditions of many injured undergoing treatment at different hospitals in Joypurhat, Naogaon, Bogra and Rajshahi are critical, sources said.
Akkelpur police said they recorded 28 dead as of 4:00pm yesterday while locals put the figure at 32, saying that four dead bodies were taken away by their relatives before the police reached the scene.
Sources said 27 of the dead are residents of different villages in Akkelpur upazila while one was from Uday Bhadra village in Rajshahi.
Locals said the 40-seater bus was carrying around 70 passengers with many on the roof and bumper.
Witnesses said Khulna-bound Rupsha Express from Syedpur hit the Joypurhat-bound bus of Kheya Paribahan from Shantahar at the Akkelpur Women's College level crossing at 10:25am. The train dragged the bus for about 300 yards before throwing it into a roadside ditch. The bus was completely damaged and twisted.
Abdul Majid, a witness, said the driver of the bus tried to cross the level crossing despite seeing the train coming.
"Unfortunately, one of the bus' rear wheels stuck in a ditch and its engine stopped. The driver tried repeatedly to restart the engine but failed," Majid told The Daily Star.
Release link:http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/07/12/d6071201022.htm
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