FIR Lodged over Dhaka BRT Girder Tragedy

A police case has been filed in connection with the Dhaka Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) girder tragedy that claimed the lives of five people, all of a family, on Monday, reports UNB.  

The FIR for causing death due to negligence does not name anyone but lists the crane operator and the company responsible for the project, China Gezhouba Group Co Ltd, police said.

"The case was filed at Uttara west police station on Monday night on a complaint from Afran Mondol, the brother of two of the deceased -- Fahima and Jhorna," said Md Mohsin, the station's officer-in-charge.

“The crane operator and China Gezhouba Group Co Ltd have been listed in the FIR,” said the OC. "Police will investigate if the negligence of the crane operator and others concerned led to the accident."

On Monday, the five, including two children, died after one girder of the BRT project fell on their private car. A newlywed couple also travelling in the same car, fortunately escaped death.

The deceased were identified as Rubel, 50, Fahima, 40, her sister Jhorna, 28, and Jhorna's two children Jannat, 6, and Jakaria, 2, said Yeasin Gazi, inspector of Uttara west police station.

Rubel's son Hridoy, 26, and his wife Ria Moni, 21, escaped with serious injuries and were rushed to a local hospital.

"They are currently out of danger," said the officer.

Fahima and Jhorna were aunts of Ria Moni, said their brother, Afran Mondol.

The accident occurred around 4.15pm when the girder of the Gazipur Expressway fell on the car from a crane while it was being moved in front of Gazipur Paradise Tower, he added.

Firefighters recovered the five bodies from the ill-fated car and handed those over to the police.

A family member said Hridoy and Ria Moni got married on Saturday and were going to the latter's house in Gazipur, along with five other relatives, in the car that afternoon.

Hridoy's father Rubel was driving the car when the girder fell on the vehicle.

The tragedy occurred exactly a month after a worker was killed by a falling crane in the Gazipur part of the project.

Also, last year, six workers escaped with injuries after a part of a launching girder collapsed near them, close to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.