At least 10 people were killed in separate road accidents across the country on Friday, including four who were burned to death in Cumilla after a three-vehicle pileup involving a passenger bus, a motorcycle, and an auto-rickshaw on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway.
The incident occurred around noon in the Baniyapara area, said Iqbal Bahar Majumdar, officer-in-charge (OC) of Daudkandi Highway Police Station.
Fire Service and Civil Defence personnel recovered the bodies of a man, a woman, and two children.
Officials said two of the deceased were bus passengers, while the others were riding the motorcycle.
The victims were identified as motorcycle rider Shamim Ahmed, 40, of Jinglatali in Daudkandi, and his six-year-old son, Nadiv Ahmed. Family members said they were travelling to Baniyapara Darbar Sharif to attend Jummah prayers.
Another deceased child, Hussain, aged 18 months, was from Sonargaon upazila in Narayanganj and was travelling with his father from Sonargaon to Feni. The identity of the deceased woman could not be confirmed immediately.
Passengers said the bus was initially moving slowly before suddenly speeding up and losing control. The vehicle first hit an auto-rickshaw, pushing it into a roadside ditch, and then ran over the motorcycle.
Fire Service officials said the motorcycle’s fuel tank ignited due to friction with the road, causing flames to spread rapidly and trapping passengers amid heavy smoke.
At least 26 injured people were taken to Daudkandi Upazila Health Complex, said in-charge Habibur Rahman. Four were brought in dead, while 10 critically injured patients were referred to Dhaka for advanced treatment. Police seized the bus and took it to the highway police dumping station, while the driver fled the scene.
Earlier the same day, two people were killed in another road accident in the Elliotganj area of the same upazila, police said.
In a separate incident in Tangail’s Mirzapur upazila, an unidentified woman aged around 50 was killed after being run over by a drum truck on the Dhaka–Tangail Highway in the Gorai area at around 8:30 am.
Police said the woman was standing under the Gorai flyover when the truck hit her, killing her on the spot. The truck was seized, and efforts are underway to identify the victim.
Meanwhile, in Munshiganj, one bus passenger was killed and at least 20 others injured in a fog-related accident on the Dhaka-Mawa Expressway.
The crash occurred around 5:00 am near Nimtala in Sirajdikhan upazila when a Chuadanga-bound bus rammed into the rear of a stationary goods-laden truck. Ten of the injured were sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in critical condition.
Fire Service officials said traffic on the affected highways was later restored following rescue and clearance operations. Police said investigations are ongoing into all the incidents.
On Thursday night, around 2:30 am, three people were killed and at least ten others injured when a passenger bus collided with a timber-laden truck on the Dhaka–Chattogram Highway in Mirsarai.
The accident occurred on the Dhaka-bound lane near the Dhumghat Forest Office in Baraiyarhat Municipality.
The victims have been identified as Nafiz Ahmed Ayon, 18, son of Nur Alam from Mosjidiya area in Mirsarai, Sabitun Nahar, 25, daughter of Mohammad Helal from Chandgaon, Chattogram, and Mintu Mia, 45, son of the late Noya Bapari from Fulchhari, Gaibandha. Nafiz Ahmed Ayon was a member of the Bangladesh Navy.
Sub-Inspector Borhan Uddin of Jorarganj Highway Police Station said several others were injured in the accident and are receiving treatment at various hospitals. The bus and truck involved in the accident have been recovered and taken into police custody. The truck driver fled the scene following the incident.
He added that after completing the legal process, the bodies of the deceased will be handed over to their families.
