Three people were killed and 16 others injured when a bus plunged into a roadside ditch on the Dhaka-Mawa Expressway in Sreenagar upazila of Munshiganj district early Saturday.

One of the deceased was identified as Rakonuzzaman Ranju, 55, of Chuadanga district, while the identities of the other two could not be known immediately.

The accident occurred around 3:18am in the Hasara area when the Dhaka-bound bus of ‘Darshana Paribahan’ from Chuadanga, smashed through the roadside railing and plunged into a ditch as its driver lost control while overtaking a covered van at high speed, leaving three killed on the spot and 16 others injured, said Muhammad Shafiqul Islam, deputy assistant director of Munshiganj Fire Service and Civil Defence.

On information, two firefighting units of Sreenagar Fire Station rushed to the spot and rescued 11 injured passengers from the bus before taking them to Sreenagar Upazila Health Complex.

Five others received first aid at the spot.