Tourist Bus Bound for Kuakata Plunges into Pond; 15 Injured

Tourist bus bound for Kuakata plunges into pond in Kalapara.

Patuakhali: At least 15 tourists were injured when a double-decker sleeper bus operated by 'Iconic Paribahan' lost control and plunged into a pond in Kalapara, Patuakhali. The incident occurred around 7:30 AM on Friday in the Khalilpur area along the Kalapara-Kuakata Highway.

According to police and local sources, the bus (Dhaka Metro-Ba 124555) had departed from Dhaka the previous night, carrying 20 to 25 tourists bound for Kuakata. Upon reaching the Khalilpur area around 7:30 AM, the vehicle lost control and fell into a shallow pond, injuring at least 15 passengers. Fire Service personnel arrived at the scene, rescued the injured, and sent seven critically injured individuals to Kalapara Hospital for treatment. The bus was carrying alumni from the 2001 and 2023 batches of Jagannath University; they had chartered the vehicle for a trip to Kuakata.

Md. Nazrul Islam, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Kalapara Police Station, stated that the bus has been seized, though the driver and his assistant have fled the scene. Further legal action is currently underway. - Gofran Palash