In a massive road accident in Gaibandha, 18 people were killed when a bus plunged into a ditch in the early hours of Saturday, said the OC of Palashbari Police Station Mahmudul Alam.
Nine died on the spot while seven others died while they were taken to the hospitals or given treatment.
The OC feared that casualty might go up.
The injured persons were sent to different hospitals, he said.
He said a Panchagarh-bound bus lost its control in Palashbari’s Moheshpur area on Dhaka-Rangpur highway and fell into the ditch.
The details of the casualties are yet to be known, the OC added.

Gobindoganj Highway Police OC Md Akhtaruzzaman said that eight bodies among the dead of the accident were handed over to the respective families.
Meanwhile, the Project Implementation Officer (PIO) of Palashbari, Shahinur Alam said, “All eight victim’s families received Tk 10,000 aid according to the announcement by the deputy commissioner of Gaibandha.”