The death toll in Jhalakathi road accident has risen to 17 as police recovered three more bodies from the pond. The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately.
At least 25 peoplewere also injured as a passenger bus fell into a road side pond on Khulna-Barishal regional highway in front of Dhansiri Union Parishad under Sadar upazila of the district this morning, officer-in-charge (OC) of Jhalakathi Sadar Police Station Nasir Uddin Sarker said.
The accident occurred around 10am when the driver of the speedy bus of Bashar Smrity Paribhan with 60/70 passengers from Bhandaria in Pirojpur bound to Barishal lost control over the steering while giving side to an auto-rickshaw and fell into the pond.
Police and Fire Service and Civil Defence personnel rushed to the spot upon receiving the news and recovered 17 bodies from the pond. “The bodies of eight women, six men and three children were so far recovered”, Sarker said. The bodies have been sent to the Jhalakathi Sadar Hospital, the OC added.
