Death toll climbs to 21

Staff Reporter :
The death toll from a terrible road crash in Madaripur’s Shibchar upazila rose to 21 till Sunday night.
Besides, about 30 people were injured after a Dhaka bound bus veered off the approach road to the Padma Bridge and crashed into a ditch in Kutubpur area on Sunday morning.
Confirming the matter, Shibchar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Razibul Islam said the identities of 17 victims were known. Other remained unidentified instantly.
The deceased were identified as Md. Ismail, Hedayet Mia Bahar, Farhad Sikdar, Anadi Mandal, Mostak Ahmed, Sajib Sheikh, Minhaz Biswas, Sweety Aktar, Md. Kabir Sheikh, Afsana Mimi, Masud Khan, Sheikh Abdullah Al Mamun, Chinmay Prasanna Mandal, Mahadeb Kumar Sadhu, Ashraful Alam Lingkan, Rashed Sardar and Jahid.
Among the deceased, Minhaz Biswas, 22, was the superviser of the bus, and Sweety, 20, was a second-year student at the English Department of Dhaka University.
Critically injured seven victims are currently receiving treatment at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH). They have been identified as Faisal Ahmed, 36, Abdul Hamim, 50, Badruddoza, 30, Pankaj Kanti Ghosh, 40, Jhuma, 34, Bulbul, 50, and Enamul, 40.
Shibchar fire service leader Harun-Or-Rashid said, driver of the bus lost control over steering when a front wheel of the bus blasted. Meanwhile, the bus fell into a ditch, leaving 18 people dead on the spot and injured at least 30 others.
 “The bus had a total of 54 seats, and some passengers were also sitting on the front engine cover. Among them, those who sat in the front rows have died,” Fire Service and Civil Defense officials added.
Shibchar Highway police station Officer-in-charge (OC) Abu Nayeem Mohammad Mofazzel confirmed the matter to the media saying that the death toll may rise as about 30 injured were rushed to the medical for treatment. Among the injured, almost are in critical situation, police officials added.
According to the locals and relatives, some people were returning to Dhaka to join work after vacation, while some were coming to the capital for official purpose.
Most of the passengers on the bus were from Gopalganj district.
Meanwhile, Madaripur district administration has formed a four-member committee to probe into Madaripur accident that left 21 people dead and 30 injured so far.
The committee, led by an additional magistrate which has been asked to submit the report within three working days, said Madaripur deputy commissioner Rahima Khaton.
The other committee members include an additional superintendent of police and representatives of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and Accident Research Institute.
The local administration also announced financial assistance of Tk 25,000 each of the families of the deceased, the DC said.