Woman Killed in Gaibandha Bus Crash

A woman was killed and at least 15 passengers, including children, were injured after a passenger bus veered off the road and plunged into a roadside ditch in Gaibandha’s Palashbari Upazila on Sunday morning.

The accident occurred at approximately 7:00 am in the Thutiapakur area of Mahadipur Union along the Gaibandha–Palashbari highway. The deceased was identified as Rikta Begum, wife of Aijol Haque of Sahar Bazar in Gaibandha Sadar.

According to police, fire service personnel and eyewitness accounts, a passenger coach operated by New Safa Paribahan was travelling towards Gaibandha from Dhaka when the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle. The bus subsequently left the roadway and overturned into a roadside ditch.

Rikta Begum became trapped beneath the vehicle and died at the scene before rescuers could reach her. Emergency response teams from the Palashbari Fire Service rushed to the site immediately after receiving reports of the crash and began rescue operations.

Accident Overview

Rescuers extracted injured passengers from the damaged bus and transported them to Palashbari Upazila Health Complex, Gaibandha General Hospital and several nearby clinics for treatment. Medical officials indicated that most of the injured sustained varying degrees of trauma, cuts and bruises, although the full extent of their conditions was not immediately available.

Passengers who survived the accident described moments of panic as the vehicle suddenly lost control before plunging into the ditch. Several noted that the ditch contained relatively little water at the time of the crash, which enabled many passengers, including children, to escape. They remarked that the casualty toll could have been significantly higher had the ditch been deeper or filled with more water.

Lokman Hakim, Sub-Station Officer of the Palashbari Fire Service, confirmed that rescue personnel responded swiftly and worked to recover victims and secure the accident site. He stated that the body of the deceased woman was recovered and the injured were transferred to medical facilities without delay. Efforts to remove the damaged bus from the ditch were continuing following the rescue operation.

Meanwhile, Pradip Kumar, Investigation Officer at Palashbari Police Station, confirmed that Rikta Begum’s body had been handed over to her family after the completion of the necessary legal formalities.

The incident has once again highlighted concerns over road safety on regional highways, where loss-of-control accidents involving passenger buses continue to pose a significant risk to travellers. Authorities are expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash, including the condition of the vehicle, road conditions and any possible driver-related factors that may have contributed to the tragedy.