5 crushed to death as BRT girder falls on car in Uttara
At least five people including two children were crushed to death after a girder, part of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, fell on a car in Uttara.
Two others were injured in the accident that took place Monday (15 August) near the Jasimuddin area.
All of the victims were riding in the same car, Mohammad Saiful Malik, assistant commissioner of Traffic Police Uttara Division told The Business Standard.
The deceased are Rubel, 50, Jharna, 28, Jannat, 6, and Jakaria, 6. Identity of another deceased was not confirmed.
They were crushed under the girder that fell when it was being moved by a crane.
Mohammad Saiful Malik also told that the passengers of the car were going to Ashulia from Airport's Kawla area to attend a post-wedding family function.
According to the family members, the bodies of five, including two children, are still stuck inside the car.
The bride, Riya Moni, 21 and groom Hridoy, 26 could come out of the car immediately after the girder fell on it, Saiful Malik added.
Dhaka BRT Managing Director Safiqul Islam said there was no lack of safety.
"The accident occurred due to mechanical failure. A girder was being lifted on a truck for moving to another location. But due to a sudden mechanical failure, the crane veered towards the road and overturned, unable to carry the load. That is when the girder fell on the car," he told The Business Standard.
He also said the BRT is bound to pay compensation for the accident.
"However, the amount is not fixed. We will negotiate and fix the amount," he added.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed her condolences to the bereaved family members and prayed for the departed souls in the accident, said a press release issued by PMO.
The project to create separate lanes for specialised buses across an area of about 20km from Gazipur to the airport is being implemented by three government agencies – the Roads and Highways Department (RHD), the Bangladesh Bridge Authority and the Local Government Engineering Department. Three project directors are in charge of coordinating the work of the three agencies.
The project work that started towards the end of 2012 as part of the plan to finish the construction of the BRT by 2016 has not been completed by one third in 10 years. During this time, both the project completion tenure and cost have doubled.
Due to slow progress, the revised cost of the project has been estimated at Tk4,268.32 crore after a 109% or Tk2,228.48 crore hike from the initial estimation of Tk2039.8489 crore. Three donor agencies, including the ADB, are providing Tk2,842.51 crore in loans for the project.
