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Bangladesh bus accident toll reaches 65
Rescue workers on Sunday recovered 15 more charred bodies from the wreckage of a bus, which burst into flames in Bangladesh.
Rescue workers on Sunday recovered 15 more charred bodies from the wreckage of a bus, which burst into flames after rolling into a dry canal in Bangladesh, taking the toll to 65.
The accident occurred near the eastern town of Chandina late on Saturday and most of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition, said district commissioner Mahibul Hossain.
"The total number of deaths can cross 70 as several bodies are still to be accounted for," Hossain added.
The overcrowded bus was heading to the frontier Comilla city when the driver lost control trying to avoid a head-on collision with a three-wheeler cab.
Witnesses said the bus plunged into the canal after hitting a roadside tree and caught fire as it touched the dry ground. The accident, the country's worst in recent years, occurred about 140 km east of Dhaka.
The exact number of passengers could not be determined, said a survivor.
Abul Khair, a police official, added that there were many people travelling on the roof of the bus after failing to get seats inside.
The passengers were mostly people returning from the annual Eid al-Adha Islamic holidays.
