Jhalkathi Correspondent: The death toll has risen to 17 after a Smriti Paribahan passenger bus lost control and fell into a pond in Jhalkathi. The death toll is expected to rise. The tragic accident took place in the Chatrakanda area of Jhalkathi Sadar Upazila after 9 a.m. on Saturday (July 22). Some locals said that the bus leaving for Jhalkathi passed an auto-rickshaw after reaching the Chhatrakanda area.
Meanwhile, the driver lost control, and the bus overturned and fell into a pond on the side of the road. 17 people died in it. Jhalkathi Sadar Police Sub-Inspector (SI) Arofin confirmed the facts of the incident and said that 17 bodies have been recovered so far.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Sadar Police Station Nasir Uddin Sarkar and local UP Chairman Abul Kalam Masum confirmed the truth of the incident. They said that the bus was going to Jhalkathi from Bhandaria.
Meanwhile, the police and fire service are conducting rescue operations at the scene. The identity of the deceased is not yet known.
