Dhaka, May 9 (IANS): At least eight people were killed when two speeding buses collided on a highway in Bangladesh early Friday, an official said.
The accident took place at around 4 a.m. in the southwestern Rajbari district, about 120 km from Dhaka.
"Eight people died on the spot while 20 to 25 people were injured," Xinhua quoted Ahsan Habib, assistant superintendent of police in Rajbari district, as saying.
Bangladesh has one of the highest fatality rates for road accidents in the world due mainly to shoddy highways, poorly maintained vehicles and violation of traffic rules.
According to a study by the Accident Research Institute of Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology, 2,000-3,000 people are killed in road accidents in Bangladesh every year, 75 percent of which are reported from rural areas.