14 die as bus falls into pond in Jhalakathi

At least 14 people have been killed and 21 others injured after a bus veered out of control and rolled into a roadside pond in Jhalakathi's Rajapur Upazila.

The incident occurred on the Khulna-Jhalakathi regional highway in the Chhatrakanda area around 9:30 am on Saturday, according to the police.

The Bashar Smriti Paribahan bus was headed to Jhalakathi from Bhandaria when the driver lost control of the vehicle after one of its tyres exploded. The bus subsequently overturned and fell into the waterbody, reports bdnews24.com.

Rescue workers recovered 13 bodies from the scene, while another passed away in the hospital, according to Dr Zahirul Islam, the district's civil surgeon.

Among the injured, five have been sent to Barishal's Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital, he said. The others have been admitted to local healthcare facilities.

However, the victims could not be identified immediately.

Traffic on the Khulna-Jhalakathi highway was closed after the incident, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded on each side.