9-yr-old dies under bus in Mirpur

Angry locals set ablaze a bus and vandalised eight other vehicles as reckless driving killed a schoolgirl on the spot on the capital's Begum Rokeya Sarani yesterday.

They also blocked the road at Kazipara in Mirpur for about one hour.

The accident happened around 12:45pm when nine-year-old Tasnim Alam Trisha, a class five student of Mirpur Girls Ideal Laboratory Institute, was returning home with her mother Rima Begum and brother Toha, 4, after her exam, according to police.

Rima told that they were returning home by a rickshaw from Mirpur 13 to East Kazipara. The rickshaw puller, however, dropped them in West Kazipara from where they had to cross the road, she said.

“Trisha tried to cross the road in a hurry, but a bus of Tetulia Paribahan ran over her,” she added.

Rakib Hossain, an eyewitness, said two buses of Tetulia Paribahan were racing each other and one of the buses hit the girl and dragged her 10 to 12 feet away.

Locals rushed the girl to Al-Helal Specialised Hospital where on duty doctors declared her dead.

Passengers of the bus caught the driver on the spot, said Rakib, adding, locals immediately burst into protest and put up a blockade on both sides of the road for an hour.

The angry locals also set fire to the bus and vandalised some other vehicles. Two units of firefighters rushed to the scene to douse the fire, said duty officer Shafiqul Islam of Fire Service and Civil Defence.

On information, police arrived on the scene and took the situation under control, said Sikder Shamim Hossain, officer-in-charge of Kafrul police.

He added they had already arrested the driver and seized the bus.

The laboratory institute witnessed a gloomy environment following the accident.

Assistant Headteacher Zinat Farhana said Trisha was a very sincere student who attended her classes regularly.

“Today she was sitting on the first bench and stood up twice when I visited the exam hall,” she added.

Zinat further said she was shocked to hear the death of such a beautiful girl whom she met just an hour ago.

Trisha's father Khorshed Alam said they would take her body to their native village in Rangpur for burial.

Source: thedailystar