Manikganj: At least eight people were killed and 35 injured as a rashly driven truck rammed a passenger bus off Dhaka-Aricha highway into a roadside ditch at Pakuria in Ghior upazila Thursday.   

Three of the deceased were one woman and two children. Identity of the deceased could not be known instantly, police sources said.  

Police informed that a Dhaka-bound passenger bus of Nabinbaran Paribahan from Paturia skidded off the road after being rammed by a truck coming from the opposite direction at about 1:45 pm. Eight passengers of the bus died instantly in the crash.

Police and firefighters rushed to the spot and conducted rescue operation after the violent head-on collision between the two vehicles. They recovered and sent the bodies to the sadar hospital morgue.

The injured were also admitted to Manikganj Sadar Hospital, Munnu Hospital and Shibalay Uthali health complex.

Locals apprehend more dead bodies might have been trapped in the bus that plunged under water.

Traffic on the busy Dhaka-Aricha highway halted following th+e fatal accident.

BDST: 1524 HRS. June 16, 2010
Correspondent/MMK/SRJ/MMA/SMS/MUA