A 25-year-old woman was killed and at least 20 passengers were injured after a local bus overturned and fell into a roadside ditch in Sunamganj on Monday night.
The accident occurred at around 9.30pm on 24 August in the Janigaon area of Lakshmanshree Union under Sunamganj Sadar upazila, along the Sunamganj-Sylhet regional highway.
The deceased was identified as Shyuli Rani, wife of Gobinda Das, a resident of Basantapur in Dowarabazar upazila of Sunamganj.
According to local residents and police sources, the bus was travelling from Sylhet towards Sunamganj with passengers on board. When it reached the Janigaon area, the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle. The bus then overturned and plunged into a ditch beside the highway.
The crash left several passengers trapped inside the vehicle. Local residents rushed to the scene soon after the accident and began rescue efforts. They broke the windows of the bus to reach passengers who were trapped or injured inside and helped bring them out.
At least 20 injured passengers were subsequently taken to Sunamganj Sadar Hospital and Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital for treatment. Some of the injured were reported to have sustained serious injuries, although details of their conditions were not immediately available.
Shyuli Rani, however, became trapped beneath the overturned bus and died at the scene. Fire Service personnel later arrived and recovered her body from inside the damaged vehicle.
The body was subsequently taken to the mortuary at Sunamganj Sadar Hospital for further procedures. Police and emergency responders also attended the scene following the accident.
Road crashes involving passenger buses can become particularly serious when vehicles overturn and fall into roadside ditches, as passengers may become trapped inside and rescue operations can be difficult. In this case, the immediate response by local residents helped rescue several injured passengers before emergency personnel completed the recovery operation.
Sunamganj Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Ratan Sheikh confirmed the accident and the death. He said the body would be handed over to the family after a post-mortem examination.
The police officer also said legal action would be taken in connection with the accident. Authorities are expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the crash, including how the bus lost control on the regional highway.
