A head-on collision between a passenger bus and a speeding truck trailer near a tunnel in northwest Pakistan overnight killed at least 17 passengers, including women and children, a rescue official said early Friday. The crash happened in Kohat district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to the local emergency official and state-run media. “We have transported all the dead and injured to a hospital in Kohat,” rescue official Rehmat Ullah said. TV footage showed images of the destroyed bus. Azam Khan, the caretaker chief minister in the province, has expressed his deep sorrow and grief over the tragic accident. Read more: Passenger bus in Pakistan crashes, catches fire killing 40 On Sunday, a passenger bus crashed into a pillar and fell off a bridge in Baluchistan province, catching fire and killing 40 people. Deadly accidents are common in Pakistan due to poor road infrastructure and a disregard for traffic laws.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (November 26, 2022) said that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel under Karnaphuli river is the first such project in South Asia and is an astonishing infrastructure. “Bangladesh is now a changed country and none would be able to stop the ongoing progress and advancement of Bangladesh,” she said. The prime minister said this while joining an event marking the end to general work of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel’s south tube which goes beneath the river Karnaphuli. She officially announced completion of the tunnel’s south side. Read more: ‘Some in opposition parties don’t see development by AL govt, they should have their eyes checked’ The PM joined the event, organised by the Bridges Division in Chattogram, virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban. The prime minister said that after inauguration of the Karnaphuli Tunnel next month, road communication between Cox’s Bazar and Chattogram, Dhaka would be much easier and faster. Besides, country’s economy will get momentum and tourism, economic activities, trade and commerce in the entire Chattogram region will be further expanded and strengthened, she added. Read more: PM officially announces completion of Karnaphuli Tunnel’s south side Karnaphuli Tunnel has been constructed to develop Chattogram city like Shanghai of China following the “One City, Two Towns” model, she said. The PM said that the new town at Anwara Upazila, end of Karnaphuli Tunnel will be developed in a planned manner to this end, while steps have been taken to connect Cox’s Bazar with Dhaka and Chattogram through rail link. Referring to development of the region, Sheikh Hasina said, Chattogram is a crucial commercial city of Bangladesh and her government has been implementing major programmes for its development. Read More: PM to join Karnaphuli Tunnel event Saturday In this regard, PM Hasina mentioned that steps were taken to develop the port city Chattogram with new structures and it will help strengthen the economy of Bangladesh significantly.

The  Bangabandhu Tunnel under the river Karnaphuli , first of a kind in Bangladesh is expected to be open for vehicular movements next year, and it could even be well ahead of the scheduled time of December 2022. Confirming the information, Harunur Rashid Chowdhury, project director of Karnaphuli Tunnel said,”‘One of the positive aspects of this project is that its duration and cost have not been increased. The work is being completed within the stipulated time.”  “There is a possibility that the construction works might even end earlier than scheduled,” he added. The project director further said that manpower and equipment have been increased to speed up the work. “Work is going on in full swing. We are working towards the goal of opening for moving vehicles through the tunnel before the end of next year.” The construction work of the dream project reached a major milestone with completion of all boring-related work last Thursday, that arrived with the excavation of the second tube ( from Anwara end of Chittagong to Patenga end) of the 3.315-km tunnel. The boring work of the first tube was completed in the first week of August last year. Project sources told UNB that 73 % construction work of Karnaphuli tunnel has been done and dusted. In the first year after it opens to vehicular movement,  some 6.3 milli0n (63 lakh) vehicles will pass through this tunnel. In a few years, the amount of traffic will reach 14 million per year, the peo  Most of these vehicles will be container trailers, various types of good laden trucks and covered vans. Besides, tourist buses, cars and other vehicles can also move through the tunnel, making lives much easier for the national and international tourists. Also read: Karnaphuli Tunnel Project makes "breakthrough" amid Covid-19

The government plans to build a tunnel under Padma River _ instead of a bridge _between Daulatdia and Paturia for the sake of the river’s navigability, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said on Friday.   His statement came amid speculations that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government, basking in the successful construction of Padma Bridge, will build a second one over the river. The country’s first-ever underwater expressway, Bangabandhu Tunnel, is being built under Karnaphuli River in Chattogram.  READ: Padma Bridge to open before June next year: Quader  Quader, also the General Secretary of Awami League, was speaking at a seminar organized by the party’s sub-committee on science and technology at the city’s Institute of Engineers Bangladesh- IEB. He said mere building of good roads is not good enough. These must be maintained properly. Turning to politics he once again criticised opposition BNP for its lack of any political direction. He said that BNP’s Vision-2030 announced before the last election has now been kept in a cold storage.   He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has visions for 2021, 2041 and 2100 and she will do whatever is needed to achieve these visions, he said. READ: Don’t resort to arson again in name of movement, Quader warns BNP The seminar was presided over by the chairman of the sub-Committee Prof. Dr. Md. Hossain Mansur.

A survey is underway to assess the feasibility of building a tunnel alongside Bangabandhu Bridge as an alternative passage under the Jamuna River, said State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury. Talking to reporters at the secretariat on Wednesday during an event organized by Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF), he said an alternative passage along the Bangabandhu Bridge is needed. “A feasibility study is underway. If its results are found to be positive, then the country's second tunnel after the Karnaphuli one will be built there,” he said. Read Karnaphuli Tunnel Project makes "breakthrough" amid Covid-19 About the encroached lands along the river banks, he said, “We want to give some time to the industrial establishments on the river banks as they’ve made huge investments there. Government lands have been demarcated while notices have been issued to the encroachers in this regard.” To secure 10,000 kilometers of waterways, illegal establishments have been removed from nearby rivers, the state minister said, adding that 3,000 kilometers of waterways have already been secured.