A bus crash in Pakistan’s Mardan district killed 17 people and injured five others.
A lorry carrying iron rods overturned in Bangladesh’s Tangail district, killing 15 people.
Officials in both countries cited speeding and loss of vehicle control as possible causes.
32 Killed In Separate Road Accidents In Pakistan And Bangladesh
A bus crash in Pakistan’s Mardan district and a lorry overturning in Bangladesh’s Tangail district left dozens dead amid concerns over speeding, poor road safety and overcrowded travel during the Eid rush.
Summary
Road accidents in Pakistan and Bangladesh left at least 32 people dead and several others injured on Monday, officials said.
In Pakistan, at least 17 people were killed and five injured when a speeding passenger bus crashed into another bus parked along the Swat Expressway in Mardan district in the country’s northwest. According to PTI, the parked bus had stopped on the roadside after developing a generator fault when the moving bus rammed into it from behind.
Police said the victims belonged to Upper Dir and Bajaur districts. Their identities had not been confirmed, while rescue teams continued relief operations at the scene.
The bus was carrying passengers to the Swat Valley. PTI reported that initial findings suggested over-speeding may have caused the crash. Pakistan frequently witnesses deadly road accidents linked to weak enforcement of traffic rules, driver fatigue and poor licensing controls.
In Bangladesh, at least 15 people were killed and 10 injured after a lorry loaded with iron rods overturned on the eastern side of the Jamuna Bridge in Tangail district early on Monday.
Local fire station in-charge Ataur Rahman said the injured were taken to a nearby health facility with help from local residents.
According to PTI, police said the lorry was also carrying passengers when the driver lost control of the vehicle in Kalihati sub-district. The truck was travelling from the southeastern port city of Chattogram towards northwestern Bangladesh.
Tangail Additional Superintendent of Police Fauzia Habib Khan said many of the victims may have boarded the lorry at different points during the Eid rush. The accident took place as a 10-day Eid-ul-Adha holiday began on Monday, with large numbers of people travelling to their hometowns, crowding buses, trains and ferries.
Many travellers use lorries because of lower fares or after failing to secure tickets on regular passenger vehicles. Police said the identities of those killed in the Bangladesh accident were not immediately known and efforts were underway to identify them.
Bangladesh records one of the world’s highest rates of road crash fatalities, with accidents often linked to reckless driving, unfit vehicles and poor road conditions. A 2021 World Health Organisation estimate said road crashes kill around 32,000 people in the country every year.
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(With inputs from PTI)
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