Mitoon Chowdhury
, from Mirsarai
Chittagong, July 11 (bdnews24.com)—In one of the worst tragedies in Bangladesh's history, 43 school students and another have died after a mini-truck that were carrying them back from a football match crashed and toppled into a roadside pond in Mirsarai in Chittagong.
Local residents, who had gathered at the site by their hundreds, said between 60 and 70 students were enjoying themselves at the back of the truck that they had chartered.
It skidded off the muddy road after crossing a bridge and overturned into the water-filled ditch around 1:45pm. The driver lost control of the vehicle at the connecting road between Bara Takia and Abu Torab Bazaar, only one and a half kilometres away from the school.
Most of the students were trapped inside the flipped truck and could not get out despite the fact that the depth in the ditch was not much. But the flanks of the vehicle were raised that acted as stumbling blocks.
Locals said they hurled themselves into the shallow water and upended the truck to pull out those trapped. But some students died there while others perished on way to hospital.
One survivor said he saw the man at the wheel was the driver's assistant and he was speaking into his mobile phone while driving recklessly moments before the accident.
Mirsarai Upazila executive officer (UNO) Syed Kutub told bdnews24.com on Monday that the students of Abu Torab Government Primary School lost to Magadia Anjuman Nesa Government Primary School in the final match of the second-round of he union council-level Bangabandhu Gold Cup Football Tournament at Mirsarai Stadium.
Afterwards, the students of Abu Torab primary and high schools, Abu Torab Fazil Madrasa and Professor Kamal Uddin Choewdhury College hired the open cargo truck.
Mirsarai Police Station officer-in-charge (OC) Iftekhar Hasan told bdnews24.com many parents and relatives had taken some bodies away from the scene without the knowledge of the local administration.
The death country climbed as the day wore on, he added. Later, two police teams went out to nearby villages and encouraged them to give out information.
Chittagong district commissioner (DC) Foyez Ahmed and OC Iftekhar said they had discovered another body from a nearby village late in the evening.
After the search and rescue operations were called off, police sent 44 bodies to the Mirsarai Upazila Health Complex, Matrika Hospital, a nearby private clinic and the Chittagong Medical College Hospital or CMCH.
The namaz-e-janaza of the deceased was held around 8pm at the Abu Torab Government High School ground.
A huge crowd attended the funeral prayers, and mourners spilled into nearby areas. The news of deaths of so many youngsters produced an instant outpouring of grief.
Bodies of the five Hindu students were handed over to the families for cremation.
Most of the dead were in their adolescence, OC Iftekhar said. Twelve others were admitted to CMCH with injuries, the public hospital's police camp sub-inspector Jamal Uddin said.
Primary and mass education minister Afsarul Amin, divisional commissioner Sirajul Haque Khan, DC Foyez Ahmed, Chittagong district DIG Nawsher Ali, Mirsarai Upazila council chairman Gias Uddin Ahmed attended the namaz-e-janaza.
Of the deceased, 27 were identified as Titu Das, 16, Liton Das, 17, Ananda Das, 12, Dhrubo Nath, 17, 'Rony', 15, 'Imran', 17, 'Iftekhar', 16, 'Jahidul', 13, 'Kamrul', 16, Jahidul Islam, 16, Swapan Debnath, 'Raju', 'Rajeeb', 'Shuvo', 'Saju', 'Rafiqul', 'Arif', 'Sazzad', 'Jewel', Mesbah Uddin, 'Jewel', 'Saidul', 16, Shamsuddin Rony, Mesbah Uddin, 18, Sakhawat Hossain, 12, 'Shamsuddin', 12, and 'Anwar', 30.
Police could not identify the others.
Chittagong district's superintendent of police (SP) Z A Morshed said Fire Service personnel pulled the truck out of the canal around 4:45pm and that no more bodies were found inside the wreckage.
Navy divers searched the canal for an hour but found no more bodies, Morshed added.
Police, RAB, Coastguards and Fire Service personnel launched rescue operations with the help of residents of Madhyam Mayani Syed Ali village under 13 Mayani union immediately after the accident had happened. Later, Navy divers and Army rescue team joined the operations.
Sitakunda Fire Service officer Abdul Muttalib told bdnews24.com locals had damaged two fire-fighting vehicles complaining that rescue workers were late to arrive at the site.
Health minister A F M Ruhal Haque has directed the medical officers of the Mirsarai Upazilla Health Complex to ensure proper treatment of the injured.
A group of doctors from Chittagong and Feni districts have already joined the team following the minister's over-the-phone directive, the ministry said in a statement.
'MOST TERRIBLE'
Analyst of Accident Research Institute of Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology Kazi Zakaria Islam termed the the event 'the most tragic and terrible road accident in Bangladesh's history.'
"As my memory goes, its the most terrible road accident in Bangladesh," he told bdnews24.com.
PROBE OPENS
The communications ministry in a press statement on Monday evening said a three-strong enquiry team was formed at the directive of minister Syed Abul Hossain.
The Roads and Highways Department's additional chief engineer for Chittagong zone Ibn Alam Hasan will head the investigation.
DRIVER SUED
The chairman of 13 Mayani union council chairman Kabir Ahmed Nizami lodged a criminal case against driver Mofiz Uddin around 10:30pm with the Mirsarai police.
OC Iftekhar said police were looking for Mofiz who had fled the scene immediately after the accident.
MOURNING
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina expressed deep condolence at the deaths, her spokesperson Abul Kalam Azad told bdnews24.com.
Speaker Mohammad Abdul Hamid, Awami League general secretary and LGRD minister Syed Ashraful Islam, Chittagong mayor M Manzur Alam, former mayor and president of city Awami League A B M Mohiuddin Chowdhury, city BNP president Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and BNP vice-chairman and former minister Abdullah Al Noman sympathised with the bereaved families.
ASSISTANCE
The government will provide families of the deceased Tk 20,000 each, the primary and mass education minister said. They will also get Tk 5,000 each from the local MP engineer Mosharraf Hossain, it was announced.
Further, the government will consider employment for jobless members of the families with the help of the ministry and district administration, minister Afsarul Amin said.
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