Thai diplomat dies in Tangail road crash

Princess Sirindhorn returns to Dhaka hrs earlier
Thai Minister Counsellor Pannee Lickanajule, also the deputy chief of Thai Embassy in Dhaka, was killed in a road accident at Mirzapur in Tangail yesterday.
As an entourage of Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Pannee was returning to Dhaka from Gaibandha. She was in a microbus of the princess’ motorcade.
Pannee suffered serious chest injuries as her microbus collided head-on with an iron rod laden pick-up van on Dhaka-Tangail highway at Charpara around 1:15pm. The microbus plunged into a roadside ditch.
Police with the help of locals rushed Pannee to Mirzapur Kumudini Hospital where the doctors declared her clinically dead.
She was later flown to Combined Military Hospital, Dhaka in an air force helicopter around 4:30pm. “Doctors at the hospital declared Pannee dead at 5:05pm,” said Administration Officer of Thai Embassy Shahjahan Reza.
The driver of the microbus escaped unhurt.
A three-member committee, headed by Tangail Additional District Magistrate Tajul Islam, has been formed to investigate the incident. The committee is to submit its report in 24 hours, said Tangail Deputy Commissioner M Bazlul Karim Chowdhury.
Tangail Superintendent of Police Mizanur Rahman said the vehicle carrying Pannee and a few others got detached from the motorcade as they stopped at a restaurant in Elenga.
“About an hour after the motorcade had passed Charpara, we received the news of accident. Within minutes our force reached the spot and rushed Pannee to a local hospital,” he said.
Police seized the pick-up van but the driver managed to flee, he added.
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn was returning to Dhaka with her entourage after a two-day visit at Gaibandha. The princess is visiting Bangladesh as a member of the research team of Bloomberg School of Public Health of John Hopkins University, USA.
Since the inauguration of the Bangabandhu Multipurpose Bridge in 1998, some 1,500 people were killed and 3,000 others injured in around 1,200 road accidents on the stretch of narrow highway between Mirzapur and the bridge.
Foreign Minister Dipu Momi condoled the unfortunate death of Pannee Lickanajule. In condolences sent to the Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, Dipu Moni expressed her deep sorrow and shock over Pannee’s unexpected demise.

Courtesy of The Daily Star