A man was killed and 17 others were injured as a girder of an under-construction bridge fell on a BRTC bus near Mohipur ferry ghat on Kuakata-Kalapara Road Saturday morning.
The deceased was identified as Faruk Akan, 45, of Tajepara village in Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali district. Witnesses said the 129-tonne and 46.68-metre long girder of Sheikh Jamal Bridge suddenly collapsed on the BRTC bus at about 8:20am, leaving 18 passengers injured.
Local people rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation.
Faruk Akan died from his injuries on way to the hospital. The body was sent to Patuakhali General Hospital for autopsy.
Six of the injured — Firoza Begum, 29, Rina Begum, 35, Aklima Begum, 26, Jagadish Chandra, 49, Iqbal, 26, and Ismail Hossain, 38 — were in critical condition.
Later, Jagadish and Rina were sent to Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital. The others were treated at Kuakata hospital and Kalapara upazila health complex.
After the accident, road communications with Kuakata remained suspended for four hours.
Victims and locals blamed Humayun Kabir Panna, sub-assistant engineer of Roads and Highways, for the accident. He was supervising the bridge construction works.
Panna denied the allegation of negligence of duty and claimed that the girder fell as it was not set up properly. A signalman was on duty to caution the vehicles and pedestrians to avoid the spot during lifting the girder, he added.
Deputy commissioner Amitav Sarkar, police superintendent Rafikul Hasan Gani and Kalapara municipality mayor SM Rakibul Hasan visited the spot.
The local administration formed a three-member committee, headed by additional deputy commissioner (revenue) Amal Krishna Mandal, to investigate the incident and asked the committee to submit its report within three working days.
The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on February 25 laid the foundation stone of 482.375-metre Sheikh Jamal Bridge over the Sonatala River.
-With New Age input
