5 day labourers among 7 killed as bus ploughs into roadside crowd in Bogura

At least seven people were killed and 19 others injured after a speeding bus ploughed into a group of people in Bogura Sadar upazila this morning.

Five of the victims were day labourers who had gathered by the roadside in search of work.

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The accident occurred around 5:30am today on the Bogura-Naogaon regional highway at the Erulia Bazar area.

According to hospital authorities, 24 injured people were admitted to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogura following the accident.

Currently, 19 injured workers remain admitted at the hospital. Among them, four sustained severe head injuries, while two others are in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU), said Dr Monjur-A-Morshed, deputy director of the hospital.

The deceased were identified as Tazimul, 47, of Parbatipur upazila in Dinajpur; Bellal Hossain, 40, of Bogura Sadar upazila; Abu Sayeed, 45, of Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha; Anarul, 55, of Kalai upazila of Joypurhat; Amirul, 40, of Panchbibi upazila of Joypurhat; Nur Alam, 45, of Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha; and Nur Mohammad, 76, of Kahaloo upazila of Bogura.

Md Shahidul Islam, senior station officer of the Bogura Fire Service and Civil Defence Station, told The Daily Star that around 5:30am, a speeding Naogaon-bound Shah Fateh Ali Paribahan bus from Dhaka braked suddenly to avoid a motorcycle in the Erulia area.

The bus then hit an electric pole on the right side of the road, spun around and ploughed into people standing by the roadside, killing three on the spot.

Upon taking the injured to the hospital, doctors declared three more dead, while another person died while undergoing treatment. One person was released after treatment.

Shahidul added that locals, transport workers, and three units of the fire service rescued the victims and took them to the hospital.

Bogura Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abdul Wazed told The Daily Star that local residents blocked the road at the accident site after the incident, demanding speed breakers to prevent further mishaps. The executive engineer of the Roads and Highways Department visited the site and assured the protesters that speed breakers would be installed soon.

Bogura Deputy Commissioner Toufiqur Rahman told The Daily Star that the family of each deceased victim would receive Tk 25,000, while each injured person would be given Tk 15,000.

He added that the government would bear the full cost of treatment for those injured.

Meanwhile, a three-member investigation committee, headed by Bogura Additional District Magistrate Masud Hossain, has been formed over the accident.

The committee has been instructed to submit its report within three working days.

Information obtained from the Bogura office of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) revealed that the bus involved in the accident is owned by Manjurul Alam Mohan, former general secretary of Bogura district Awami League, who is currently absconding.

The vehicle was bought with a loan from the Bogura branch of National Bank.

Although the bus had a fitness clearance valid until 2027, it had been operating without a route permit for the past one and a half years. Its route permit expired on January 2, 2025, and its tax token expired on June 28, 2026.

Md Ashraful Islam, motor vehicle inspector at the Bogura BRTA office, said no fees had been deposited to renew the route permit for the vehicle.

When asked about the matter, Deputy Commissioner Toufiqur told The Daily Star, “We have noted that the bus lacked a route permit. It might have been operating through some loophole for this long. Once the investigation is complete, action will be taken according to the severity of the offense."