A policeman among four people was killed and 15 others injured when a speeding passenger bus crashed into a tree on the Dhaka-Khulna highway in Chandra Dighalia upazila of Gopalganj early on Friday morning.
The deceased cop was identified as Barishal Metropolitan Police member Abdul Alim, but the identity of three other dead is yet to be confirmed, said Nasir Uddin, officer-in-charge of Gopalganj Sadar police station.
Alim was set to to ensure security during the visit of the President and the Prime Minister to Gopalganj on Friday, he said.
The accident occurred around 6am when the driver of the Mongla-bound bus of Didar Paribahan lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the roadside tree, leaving four people dead on the spot, said the OC.
Monirul Islam, one of the passengers hailing from Khulna, claimed that the accident occurred due to reckless driving.
OC Nasir also said that of the injured passengers, 10 were admitted to Gopalganj General Hospital while others received primary treatment.
Of the injured, two people were transferred to Khulna General Hospital as their condition was critical, said Md Faruq Ahmed, resident medical officer of the hospital.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque