A bus plunged into a roadside pond in the Chhatrakanda area in Bangladesh's Jhalakathi Sadar district on Saturday (22), resulting in 17 fatalities and more than a dozen injured.
Among the fatalities were seven minors and five women.
The unfortunate incident occurred as the bus was en route from Bhandari to Barishal.
Efforts to recover the victims involved the rescue of 17 bodies by divers, while a police crane worked to retrieve the submerged bus from the water-filled pond, which had been affected by heavy monsoon rains.
According to Officer-in-Charge Nasir Uddin from Jhalakathi Sadar police station, the accident happened around 9.55 am when the bus lost control near the local union parishad office while giving way to an auto rickshaw, India Today reported.
Around 35 passengers sustained injuries and were immediately transported to Jhalakathi District Hospital for medical assistance.
The bus, identified as 'Bashar Smrity Paribahan,' was carrying approximately 60-70 passengers at the time of the incident, locals said.
Among the casualties, 13 bodies were retrieved from the accident spot, while four passengers succumbed to their injuries at the hospital.
Among the injured, five were sent to Barishal's Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital, while others received treatment at local healthcare facilities.
Following the incident, traffic on the Khulna-Jhalakathi highway was closed, leading to numerous vehicles stranded on each side.
