A series of tragic accidents on roads and railways marred the Eid weekend across the country, leaving at least 20 people dead and dozens injured.
The deadliest incident occurred early Sunday when a passenger bus collided with a train at a railway crossing in Comilla, claiming 12 lives, while multiple road accidents in Feni, Bandarban, Natore, Habiganj, and Lalmonirhat added to the toll.
Cumilla train-bus collision claims 12 lives
At least 12 passengers were killed when a Mamun Paribahan bus traveling from Chapainawabganj to Lakshmipur collided with the Dhaka-bound Chattogram Mail train at the Padua Bazar railway crossing around 3am.
The deceased include members of two families. A mother and her two daughters from Patibila village, Maheshpur Upazila, Jhenaidah – 26-year-old Laizu Akter and her daughters Khadija, 6, and Morium Akter, 3, – lost their lives. Another family from Moktarpur village, Chougacha Upazila, Jessore, lost a couple, 70-year-old Sirajul Islam and his wife Kohinur Begum, 55.
The remaining seven victims were Tajul Islam, 67, of Chapatali, Chandpur; Juhad Biswas, 24, of Jhenaidah; Babul Chowdhury, 55, of Sonaimuri, Noakhali; Fachiar Rahman, 26, of Mohammadpur, Magura; Sohel Rana, 25, of Jibonnagar, Chuadanga; Nazrul Islam, also known as Raihan, 45, of Fazilpur, Begumganj, Noakhali; and Saida Akter, 9, daughter of Sirajuddoula of Laxmipur Sadar.
The bodies are currently at Comilla Medical College Hospital and will be handed over to relatives after legal procedures, said Officer-in-Charge Mosaddek Josim Uddin of Laksam Railway Police Station. The tragedy has sparked renewed calls for improved safety measures at railway crossings nationwide.
Habiganj and Natore road accidents kill five
In Habiganj, four people died in a head-on collision between a bus and a pickup van on the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway in Madhabpur Upazila around morning.
Victims included Ibrahim Mia of Shalla Upazila, Sunamganj; Asma Akter of Kishoreganj; her 12-year-old son Sajib; and an unidentified man. Several others were injured and hospitalised.
Meanwhile, in Natore, Julfikar Ali Jillu, a resident of Dashuria, Pabna, died when his vehicle lost control, hit a tree, and rammed into a parked truck near Boroharishpur around 8am. He had been traveling to Banpara to pick up family members for his wedding.
Feni and Bandarban accidents leave many dead and injured
Early Sunday, three people were killed in a multi-vehicle collision involving buses, an ambulance, and a motorcycle on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway in Rampur, Feni.
The victims included a motorcyclist, a bus supervisor, and a passenger. Several others were injured and taken to Feni Sadar Hospital.
Separately, a bus carrying 40 passengers from Dhaka to Bandarban veered into a roadside ditch near Suwalak around 5:30 am, leaving 20 injured.
Six were reported in critical condition. Rescue teams quickly transported the injured to Bandarban Sadar Hospital for treatment.
Lalmonirhat autorickshaw-bus collision injures eight
In Lalmonirhat district town, eight people were injured in a head-on collision between a Dhaka-bound bus and a battery-run autorickshaw at Cantonment intersection.
Four of the injured, in critical condition, were shifted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital. Authorities have seized the bus and impounded the damaged autorickshaw, while the bus driver remains at large.
Calls for stricter safety measures
These incidents have once again raised concerns over road and railway safety in Bangladesh, especially during high-traffic periods such as the Eid holidays. Police and highway authorities have launched investigations into all incidents to determine causes and hold responsible parties accountable.
