Police in Bangladesh said a speeding bus veered off a major highway in the central part of the country and fell into a ditch, killing at least 19 people and injuring dozens.

Anwar Hussein, a police official in Shibchar where the accident occurred, said the death toll could rise as some of the injured are in critical condition. The area where the accident took place is about 80 kilometers from the capital, Dhaka.

Hussein added that the bus, which was carrying more than 40 passengers, fell from a height of about nine meters into a ditch beside the road after breaking through the barrier of a newly built bridge on a highway crossing the Padma River.

He also pointed out that the driver, who was killed in the accident, apparently lost control of the bus after one of its tires burst, adding that an investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the accident.

Road accidents are common in Bangladesh and claim thousands of lives every year. These accidents often occur due to reckless driving, vehicle deterioration, and neglect of safety rules.

In 2018, a series of massive protests organized by students after the deaths of two young men in a road accident forced the government to agree to raise the maximum jail sentence for causing deaths due to reckless driving to five years instead of three years.