BRT girder collapse kills 5 as safety risk ignored

A total of five people died and two others sustained injuries as a girder of a BRT project fell on a car at sector three in the Uttara area of Dhaka on Monday afternoon.

The deceased were identified as Rubel, 50, Jhorna, 28 and two children Jannat, 6, and Jakaria, 2. The name of another female victim could not be known, Easin Gazi, office-in-charge (investigation) of Uttara West Police Station, told Business Insider Bangladesh.

All the victims have been sent to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital for autopsy, said the OC

Two other occupants of the car could get out with serious injuries and were rushed to a local hospital, according to the police. They were identified as Hridoy, 26, and Riya Moni, 21, according to the police.

The accident occurred around 4:30 pm when the girder of the Gazipur-Airport Expressway fell on the car near Paradise Tower, she added.

An employee of the project requesting not to be named said a crane was lifting a heavier girder than its capacity and it fell down on a car.

He also questioned the safety measures of the authority as the movement of vehicles and people is prohibited when a girder will be lifted, but it was not the case here on Monday.

“This happened a few minutes before we were trying to cross this space. This could’ve been us,” said a man who was near the spot of the accident.

“I had written about the construction mismanagement of this project earlier. No action will be taken. The beautiful photo sessions of the concerned minister will continue. The relevant PD will be in denial. And of course, considering the current state of everything, we should not really write anything either. These are just collateral damages,” he said.

Prof Dr Akhter Mahmud, an urban planner, also said the construction of the project is being implemented without following adequate safety measures.

The project, which is called the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Line-3, will connect Gazipur directly with Dhaka airport.

The 20.5-kilometre elevated bus corridor that was taken a decade ago is being implemented by a Chinese contractor.

Soon after the accident, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed her deep shock and sorrow at the death.

In a condolence message, the prime minister prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family.

The premier also prayed for a quick recovery of the injured.