The district administration has formed a five-member committee to investigate Friday’s head-on collision between two buses on the Sylhet-Dhaka highway in Osmaninagar that left nine people dead.

Additional District Magistrate Pinki Saha has been made head of the committee, the Sylhet district administration confirmed on Saturday.

The committee has been asked to identify the actual cause of the accident and submit a detailed report within five working days.

Representatives from the Highway Police, Fire Service and Civil Defence, Roads and Highways Department and the Osmaninagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer’s (UNO) office are among the committee members.

Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Al Mamun said the accident occurred between buses of Unique and Bengal Paribahan in the Kashikapur area of Osmaninagar upazila on Friday morning.

Seven people died on the spot, while two others, including a child, died while undergoing treatment at hospital.

Sixteen people were injured in the accident and are receiving treatment, he said.

Soon after the accident, the deputy commissioner and other senior officials visited Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital to see the injured.

The district administration provided Tk 10,000 as immediate assistance to each injured person and Tk 20,000 to each family of the deceased for burial expenses. It also provided Tk 15,000 to an ICU patient.

The deputy commissioner said the highway was relatively empty when the accident occurred.

Although reckless driving or driver fatigue was initially suspected as a possible cause, the actual cause will be known after the investigation report is submitted, he said.

Meanwhile, Expatriates’ Welfare and Foreign Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury visited the injured at the hospital on Saturday morning and announced financial assistance for the victims.

He announced that Tk 5 lakh would be provided to each family of the deceased, Tk 3 lakh to each person who became disabled and Tk 1 lakh to each injured person.

Separately, the registration of the two buses involved in the accident has been cancelled, said Engineer Abdur Rashid, assistant director of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) in Sylhet, on Saturday evening.

The concerned drivers and owners of the two buses have also been asked to appear before the BRTA within five days to explain their positions.

“For now, the registration of the two buses involved in the accident has been cancelled. An explanation has also been sought from the drivers and owners. Further action will be taken after receiving their explanations,” he said.