Three killed as bus plunges into ditch after head-on collision with truck in Kushtia

At least 20 others have been injured

At least three bus passengers have been killed and at least 50 others injured after a bus collided head-on with a sand-laden truck in Kushtia’s Khoksa Upazila.

The crash occurred around 12:30pm on Saturday at Shumulia’s Kutipara on the Kushtia-Rajbari Highway, said Khoksa Fire Service and Civil Defence officer Altaf Hossain.

The injured were rushed to Khoksa Upazila Health Complex and Kushtia General Hospital.

The identities of the dead passengers could not immediately be confirmed.

Khoksa Police chief Molla Md Zakir Hossain said a Bismillah Paribahan bus travelling to Kushtia from Daulatdia collided head-on with the oncoming truck.

The impact sent the bus plunging into a roadside ditch.

Firefighters, assisted by locals, rescued the victims and took them to hospitals, where doctors declared one passenger dead on the way and two others later succumbed to injuries.

Doctors said at least five more injured passengers remain in critical condition. Police are verifying the identities of the victims.