DHAKA, (DNA) – A tragic traffic accident over a week ago has triggered mass protests by students who have taken to the streets of Bangladesh’s capital to demand that authorities improve road safety.The demonstrations were sparked by the deaths of two students who were reportedly killed by a speeding bus in Dhaka on July 29. Protests kicked off in the crowded capital after a privately-operated bus ran over a group of students, killing two and injuring several others, eyewitnesses told Bangladesh’s state-run news agency, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha.
While the circumstances surrounding the accident remain unclear, the news agency reported that the bus driver has since been arrested.
Road collisions in Bangladesh are not uncommon; more than 3,000 people die in road accidents in the country each year, according to data compiled by the World Health Organization.
Despite government warnings to cease demonstrations, student protesters have paralyzed parts of the capital, with teenagers in school uniforms erecting checkpoints and allowing only emergency vehicles to pass.
