DHAKA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of students on Tuesday blocked a major road leading to Bangladesh's main airport in capital Dhaka in protest over the death of their friend.
Owing to roadblock agitation, vehicles were sandwiched side by side and moved at a snail's pace for hours in Bangladesh on Tuesday.
The protesters blocked the road at around 7:30 a.m. local time Tuesday, causing traffic gridlocks on the ever-busy airport expressway.
The student of Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) died on the spot after he was run over by a bus on the highway linking Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport with the center of Dhaka on Tuesday at about 7:00 am local time.
Students of other educational institutes also joined the agitating students of Bangladesh University of Professionals who demanded punishment for the culprits responsible for the tragic incident.
Meanwhile, protesters reportedly smashed windows of several buses. A passenger bus was reportedly set on fire.
Bangladesh has one of the highest fatality rates for road accidents in the world mainly due to shoddy highways, poorly maintained vehicles, violation of traffic rules and lack of monitoring from the traffic department.
In July last year, students in their tens of thousands brought parts of Dhaka to a standstill for days after their two friends were killed by a speeding bus in a similar fashion.
