Seven die in Feni after picnic bus slams into tree

At least seven people have been killed and 21 injured after a Cox’s Bazar-bound picnic bus from Dhaka veered out of control and slammed into a roadside tree in Feni.

The incident took place on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Feni Sadar Upazila’s Lemua at 7am on Thursday, said Feni Mohipal Highway OC Md Shahjahan Khan.
 
Two of the bodies have been identified as ‘Shahadat’ and Sujon Mia. 
 
A picnic bus of Prime Plus Paribahan was heading to Cox’s Bazar from Dhaka’s Mirpur, said OC Shahjahan. The bus slammed into a roadside tree after the driver lost control of the vehicle. Six people died on the spot. 
 
Informed of the accident, police and fire service personnel rushed to the spot, said OC Shahjahan. The injured were rescued and sent to Feni General Hospital.  
 
Later, another victim died in the hospital, said Feni Hospital Police Camp Nayek Maidul Haque.
 
The injured were subsequently sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for better treatment, said Abu Taher Patwari, resident medical officer, or RMO, of Feni General Hospital. Ten of them are in critical condition.
 
A group of Mirpur residents arranged a tour of Cox's Bazar and Bandarban during the Eid holidays, said Pappu, one of the organisers of the trip. Two buses carrying the holiday-goers departed for Cox’s Bazar from Mirpur at 2am on Thursday. 
 
Of the two buses, one crashed in Feni while the other reached Cox’s Bazar safely. 
 
The passengers were asleep when the bus crashed, recalled injured passenger Ruma Aktar.