3 college girls killed in Rajshahi

Rajshahi Correspondent :Reckless driving claimed lives of three college girls and also caused severe injuries to 30 others when a bus plunged into a roadside ditch after a head-on collision with another bus on Dhaka-Rajshahi highway in the outskirts of the Rajshahii city on Sunday noon.The victims were identified as Mahmuda Hoque Tania, 20, a 1st year student of Social Working Department of Rajshahi Government College and Beauty Khatun 21, a first year student and Sharmin Sultana, 21, a post graduate student of History and Management Department of the same institution.The critically injured students have been identified as; fourth year student of Islamic Studies Munni, first year student of Economics Sumi, second year student of Social Science Afia, fourth year student of Political Science Fazila, fourth year student of Social Science Khaleda and Ireen, final year student of Botany Laboni, Second year students of Economics and Political Science – Setu and Tufani, Shaheena of Islamic History and Adori of Social Working DEpartment. The injured girl students have been admitted to Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital [RMCH] while condition of two students was stated to be critical, hospital sources said.The Rajshahi College authorities have declared a four-day mourning to condole the death. Besides, the classes and examinations have been cancelled for Monday, said Principal of Rajshahi College Habibur Rahman.At the same time, the college authorities have formed a five-member inquiry committee headed by Mosarraf Hossain, professor of Mathematics, and asked them to submit report within eight [working] days. Ifte Khayer Alam, Spokesman of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police said, the Puthia-Baneshar bound college bus of Lucky Paribahan [Dhaka-Ja-3651] collided head on with a speeding Rajshahi-bound passenger bus [Dhaka-Ja-11-0840] from Sirajganj in front of Katakhali Jute Mills under Paba Upazila at about 1:00pm.The bus, ironically named Lucky, was carrying female students of the Rajshahi Government College. No case was filed with the concerned police station in this regard. The driver and helper of Islam Paribahan managed to escape the scene after the accident. The police, however, seized the bus and brought it to the police station.On the other hand, the driver and helper of Lucky Paribahan [college bus] were undergoing treatment in RMCH in critical condition. Besides, the bus also could not salvaged from beneath the ditch till the time of filing of this report at 9:15 pm yesterday. “It fell into a ditch after crashing head-on with a Rajshahi-bound bus belonging to the Islam Paribahan on the Dhaka- Rajshahi highway,” said Rajshahi University Fire Service Team Leader Mostafizur Rahman. On information, the Fire service and Civil Defence [FSCD] units of Sadar station also rushed to the spot and rescued the critically injured students and sent them to RMCH.Five units of the FSCD took part in the rescue work. Seventeen girl students were removed from the bus and sent to hospital.Of them, the three girls students succumbed to the injuries in the hospital at about 1:45pm, said RMCH Director Brigadier General AKM Nasiruddin.There are widespread allegations that road accidents have increased in the recent days at an alarming rate, but the concerned authorities especially the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry are not paying minimum attention to the serious issue.  About 33 people were killed and 50 others received injuries when two passenger carrying buses collided head on in the country’s northern locality Natore in Rajshahi division on October 20. A recent study titled “Road Safety in Bangladesh: Realities and Challenges” said that in absence of road safety measures, most accidents take place in the country’s busy highways including Dhaka-Rajshahi and Dhaka-Chittagong.According to the study, road mishaps claimed 3,137 lives, on an average, annually between 2002 and 2012. About 5,162 people were killed in road accidents alone in 2013 as recorded by Nirapad Sarak Chai, a movement to ensure road safety.Among the accident-prone highways, the study found, 16.5 per cent accidents took place on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway, followed by Dhaka-Aricha, Nagarbari-Rajshahi, Nagarbari-Banglabandh, Daulatdia-Jhenidah-Khulna, Dhaka-Sylhet, Gazipur-Tangail-Jamalpur, Bangabandhu Bridge approach road and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways.