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A bus supervisor was driving at reckless speed when the passenger bus collided head-on with a sand-laden truck in Natore, killing 14 people, including the supervisor himself, according to survivors.
The bus, operated by RP Special Paribahan, was being driven by supervisor Sohel Rana, 38, while the driver and his assistant were reportedly sleeping in the rear seats, three survivors said.
The accident occurred around 4:00am on Tuesday on the Natore-Pabna highway in Bonpara, Baraigram upazila, when the bus collided with the oncoming truck.
At least 25 people were injured and taken to different hospitals for treatment, according to highway police.
Ramjan Ali, 28, a passenger from Gomostapur in Chapainawabganj, said he was sitting two rows behind the driver’s seat.
According to his account, the driver left his seat when the bus reached Ishwardi in Pabna at around 3:00am, and supervisor Sohel Rana took over the wheel.
Ali said the driver and his assistant then went to sleep in the rear seats after closing the bus doors.
About an hour later, the bus collided head-on with the sand-laden truck.
Two other injured passengers, Yakub Ali and Abdus Salam, also said the supervisor was driving at excessive speed at the time of the accident.
Sohel Rana was from Faradpur village in Godagari upazila of Rajshahi. His family said he had previously worked as a bus driver but had switched to a supervisor’s job about two years ago.
Police said legal action would be taken and the incident would be investigated.
The exact cause of the crash will be determined through the investigation.