3 IUT students electrocuted: What eyewitnesses, survivors to tragedy say

At around 8:30am, the stillness of Udaykhali village in Gazipur's Sreepur upazila was broken by piercing screams.

Local Zakir Hossain, who was nearby, was one of the first to hear the sudden shouts.

"Fire, fire" he heard. 

"I ran towards the sound and came to the road, where I saw that a fire had broken out on a double-decker bus," he said. 

Another witness, Shamim Ahmed, had also reached the spot at the same time. 

3 IUT students die after picnic bus gets electrified in Gazipur

He saw students pouring out of the bus, with the air still thick with smoke and screams. 

"We ran towards the bus. We saw three students being shocked in the bus, while two seemed to be stuck together," he said.

At this point, they noticed that the bus was leaning on a low-hanging uninsulated live wire of the power lines on the side of the road. 

"We realised the students were being electrocuted. We took a bamboo stick to separate the two who were still in the bus," Shamim said. 

Locals then called the Palli Bidyut office and asked for the power line to be disconnected. 

If this wasn't done, locals believed many more would have died. 

According to sources, a total of 460 students of IUT's Mechanical Engineering department rented five double-decker buses and were on their way to Matir Maya Eco Resort in Uttar Pilaid village under Telihati union of Gazipur's Sreepur upazila.

At one point, one of the buses leaned too far on the side, to let another vehicle pass, and came in contact with the live wire. 

The wires sent electricity throughout the bus and those in touch with metal were instantly electrocuted. 

"We boarded the bus once the power connection was switched off. We saw one unmoving body of a student and we managed to take it out. Some 60 students were also rescued with burns and sent to the hospital in auto rickshaws," he said.

'Give us water'

Mahid Hasan Shishir, a student on the bus, recalls the horrifying moments.  

"Our bus was in front. The one behind us was the one which came into contact with the live wire. All the first year students in our bus were in the back. The bus of our elder brothers was behind. The vehicles were moving slowly because the rural roads were narrow. 

"Suddenly, I heard a shout from the bus behind us. They were shouting 'fire, fire'. And they were saying, 'Do you have water? Give us water quickly. Our bus is on fire. Give us water.'"

Shishir said they stopped their bus and quickly got down, after which they began throwing water on the bus, which at this point was emitting a lot of smoke.

"At that time, the locals came forward to help us due to our screams. They also started spraying water. That's one when I heard that one person was dead.

Identities of victims

The deceased have been identified as Mobatasir Rahman Mahin (22), Mozammel Hossain Naim (23) and Jubayer Rahman Shakib (23). 

Of them, Mobatasir Rahman Mahin died on the spot. The other two were taken to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared them dead.

Of those injured, six are undergoing treatment at the hospital.

All of them are third-year students of the electrical department of the Islamic University of Technology (IUT).

The injured have not been identified.

'How could this happen?'

Expressing anger, local Zakir Hossain said, "How did the university authorities bring students to a picnic in a BRTC double-decker bus on such a small connecting road? There is an electric wire just next to the road. This accident happened due to the negligence of the university authorities."

After reaching the spot and assessing the damage, Later, IUT Pro-VC Professor Rakibul Islam told reporters, "We hold various university picnics in double-decker buses every year. Unfortunately, an incident has occurred." 

He said instead of blaming anyone, it was now time to ensure how to overcome this and treat the injured.

After the investigation, it will be possible to say whether it was an accident or not, he said.

Asked why the double-deckers for such narrow roads, where those weren't allowed, Rakibul said they had rented from BRTC, so they were in a better position to answer. 

Locals also claimed that the wire in question had been cause for concern for a long time. They said it would be better to insulate the wire or raise it higher.

Probe committees formed

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Gazipur Nafisa Arefin has formed a four-member committee to investigate the incident.

The committee is headed by Additional District Magistrate of Gazipur Salma Akter. Other members of the committee are Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Sreepur Barrister Sajib Ahmed.

Among the members are a deputy general manager of Rural Electrification Board (REB). The identity of the other member could not be known.

Confirming the matter, Salma said they are going to the spot where the accident occurred.

IUT sources said the university's Vice-Chancellor Dr Mohammad Rafiqul Islam has expressed grief and condolence at the incident.

The VC is currently heading toward Mymensingh from Dhaka to hear from the victims.  

The university, too, has formed a separate five-member probe committee.