Police said eight women and three children were among those killed in the Bangladesh bus accident on July 22, 2023. Photo: AFP

At least 17 people have been killed and 53 others injured after a bus fell into a roadside waterbody in the southern Jhalakathi district of Bangladesh.

“There are eight women and three children among the deceased. Of the injured, 45 have been taken to nearby government hospitals,” district police officer Afruzul Haque Tutul told Anadolu on Saturday.

The bus was heading towards Jhalakathi district from Bhandaria area of the southern-western Pirojpur district.

It plunged into the pond after its driver lost control of the wheel.

Overloaded

Tutul said the bus was overloaded, adding that investigation into the incident has been initiated.

"Police, with the support of Fire Service and Civil Defense, pulled out the bus from the waterbody, and we are still working to see if there are any missing people or dead victims,” he said.

There has been an alarming rise in the number of road accidents in Bangladesh over the last few years.

According to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, at least 504 people were killed and 785 others injured across the country in 562 road accidents in June.​​​​​​​

AA