The Dhaka-Chattogram Highway in Mirsarai upazila has become a deadly accident hotspot. From August 2024 to September 12, 2025, a total of 83 road crashes claimed 45 lives and left 137 others injured.
Data from the Jorarganj and Kumira Highway Police Stations, Baraiarhat and Mirsarai Fire Service, and media reports indicate that most accidents were caused by freight trucks and lorries. Of the 83 crashes, around 55 involved heavy vehicles, accounting for 65.85 percent of all incidents.
Twenty-five of these accidents were head-on collisions, resulting in the deaths of 15 drivers and their assistants. Another three deaths were caused by overturned trucks and covered vans.
Motorcycle accidents ranked second, with 11 crashes leading to 7 fatalities. Two collisions involving CNG-run auto-rickshaws left 4 dead, while four passenger bus accidents claimed 4 more lives. Ten pedestrians were also killed.
Highway police noted that the 28-kilometer stretch between Bardargharhat and Dhumghat Bridge sees the highest number of accidents.
Jorarganj Highway Police Sub-Inspector (SI) Borhan Uddin said road defects, potholes, driver fatigue, reckless speeding, improper stopping at U-turns, CNG auto-rickshaw movement, and traffic rule violations are the main causes of the crashes.
He added that illegally parked covered vans and lorries often lead to fatal rear-end collisions with speeding trucks.
Baraiarhat Fire Service Senior Station Officer Zainal Abedin stated that rear-end collisions are the most frequent type of accident. “When vehicles stop on the roadside for mechanical repairs, inattentive or drowsy drivers often fail to notice them and crash into the back,” he explained.
In the past year, 32 cases were filed over these accidents – 26 at Jorarganj and 6 at Kumira Highway Police Stations. Among the injured, 112 were from Jorarganj and 26 from Kumira.
Jorarganj Highway Police OC Abdullah Al Mamun said accidents increase during the monsoon due to potholes.
“We are conducting regular awareness campaigns for drivers. Daily operations are carried out to stop illegal CNG auto-rickshaw movement, and an average of 60 cases are filed every month,” he added.
On Friday, a microbus rammed into the rear of a covered van in the Thakur Dighi area of Mirsarai, killing Golam Sarwar, a resident of Uttara Sector 10 in Dhaka, and his three-year-old daughter Muskan. The driver’s assistant, Sagar, later died while undergoing treatment at Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH).
Three others were injured and are currently receiving treatment. SI Borhan Uddin stated that the microbus driver had been drowsy while driving.
