Two persons, including an ambulance driver, were killed and several others injured when a passenger bus collided head-on with an ambulance carrying a body in Pabna's Ataikula area early today. The accident occurred around 6am on the Dhaka-Pabna highway at Saradangi under Ataikula Police Station, police said. The deceased were identified as ambulance driver Raj Sheikh, 30, of Pabna municipality, and Bulu Khatun, a relative of the deceased whose body was being transported in the ambulance.
The ambulance was carrying the body of a girl from Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital to her home in Sathia upazila. According to Madhpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mahbubur Rahman, the ambulance collided with a passenger bus named "Pabna Express" coming from the opposite direction.
Police recovered the bodies and sent them to the morgue of Pabna General Hospital. Meanwhile, the injured were admitted to hospital for treatment, and the damaged vehicles were seized and taken to the police station.
Road accidents are a significant concern in Bangladesh, often attributed to factors such as poor road conditions, lack of proper signage, and reckless driving. This incident underscores the urgent need for improved road safety measures and stricter enforcement of traffic laws to prevent such tragedies.
The local community is mourning the loss of lives in this unfortunate accident. Authorities are expected to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the exact cause of the collision and to ensure accountability.
