At least 16 people were killed and several injured this Sunday morning when a bus plunged into a ditch on the side of a road in central Bangladesh, police confirmed to EFE.

The accident occurred at 7:40 a.m. local time (GMT +6) in Qutubpur area, located in central Madaripur district, when a bus carrying about 30 passengers veered off the road and fell into a ditch, the district highway said. police officer Mofazal Haque.

As a result, “14 people died on the spot, two more on the way to the hospital. Another eight or nine people were taken to the hospital with injuries,” the agent added.

Haq clarified that at the moment the reasons that could have caused this incident are unknown, because “since it happened early in the morning, we could not find any witnesses. The injured passengers said they were asleep when it happened.”

Road accidents in Bangladesh are common due to the generally poor condition of the roads, traffic congestion and negligence of drivers in relation to the country’s traffic rules.

Nearly 10,000 people were killed and 12,356 injured in 6,749 road accidents across the country during 2022, according to data compiled by the non-profit Bangladesh Passenger Protection Association.