A tragic road accident in Patuakhali Sadar upazila on Saturday morning left 3 people dead, including a 2-year-old child, when a Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) vehicle carrying personnel and their family members to a picnic collided head-on with a bus.
The accident left at least 22 others injured. The incident occurred around 8am at Pakkhia, Auliapur Union, Fatulla on the Patuakhali-Kuakata Highway, according to local sources.
Witnesses said a vehicle of RAB-8 was heading towards Kuakata from Barishal for a picnic trip when it collided with a Dhanshiri Classic Paribahan bus coming from the opposite direction. The child was killed instantly while all the injured were passengers of the RAB vehicle, which was carrying around 30 members.
Local residents, assisted by the Fire Service, rushed to the spot to carry out rescue operations and transported the injured to nearby hospitals.
Patuakhali Fire Service Assistant Director Belal Uddin said, “We rescued 13 injured persons from the RAB vehicle and admitted them to Patuakhali Sadar Hospital. The toddler has been confirmed dead. Some are in critical condition.”
Dr Tamanna Rahman, on duty at the emergency department of Patuakhali Medical College Hospital, said, “Around 20-22 injured people were brought here following the accident. A toddler was declared dead, while several critically injured patients have been referred to Barishal and other hospitals for advanced treatment.”
