Three men were killed when a speeding microbus hit their bike on Rooppur IK Road in Pabna district on Wednesday night, police said Thursday.

Two of the deceased were identified as Joy, 21, son of Jahurul Islam, and Ibrahim, 22, son of Lalon Mia of Ishwardi upazila. The identity of the other victim, however, is yet to be established.

The accident occurred on Rooppur IK Road in the Joynagar Shimultala area of Ishwardi upazila around 9.30pm.

Firoz Kabir, additional superintendent of Pabna Police (Ishwardi Circle), said the bus belonged to Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant and it had hit the bike at a high speed.

"The impact of the collision was such that two of the bikers died on the spot. Another one succumbed to his injuries on the way to a nearby hospital," he said.

Read: Traffic police killed in city road crash

Road accidents in Bangladesh

Road accidents are common in Bangladesh and have been a major cause of deaths.

During the last Eid-ul-Fitr holiday rush, road accidents claimed 323 lives in just 15 days, according to Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Shamiti, a human rights body.

Besides, 513 people, including 63 children, were killed and 598 injured in 409 road accidents across the country in March, the Road Safety Foundation said on April 5.

According to the NGO, 147 lives were lost in 138 two-wheeler accidents, which is 28.65% of the total deaths.

Read: 273 killed on roads during Eid rush; highest in 6 years

In a report released in February 2020, the World Bank pointed out that Bangladesh should invest an estimated $7.8 billion over the next decade to halve its road crash fatalities.

The report attributed the high death rate on Bangladesh’s roads to lack of investments in systemic, targeted, and sustained road safety programmes.