Two people were killed and at least seven others, including two highway police officers, were injured when a passenger bus rammed into a stationary truck and a police patrol van on the Dhaka-Rangpur Highway early Wednesday.
The accident took place around 1:00 am on 16 July in the Bishmail area under Pirganj upazila of Rangpur.
The deceased were identified as Alomgir Hossain, 41, of Baldhi Ata village in Tangail’s Dhanbari, and Ashraful Alam, 40, of Hajipara-Bajrapur in Jamalpur Sadar. Police said both were passengers on the ill-fated bus and died on the spot.
According to Boro Dargha Highway Police Station, a Dhaka-bound cargo truck was parked on the roadside when a highway patrol team approached the scene to assess the situation. Just then, a Panchagarh-bound Orin Paribahan bus, travelling from Jamalpur, ploughed into the parked truck and the police van from behind.
Among the injured were constable Mizanur Rahman and sergeant Palash Chandra Pal of the highway police. A local named Shahadat from Dhumerkuti in Rangpur’s Haragachh was also among the victims. Other injured passengers have not yet been identified.
All the injured were initially taken to Rangpur Medical College Hospital and Mithapukur Upazila Health Complex. Constable Mizan, who sustained critical head injuries, was later shifted to the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (Pangu Hospital) in Dhaka for specialised care.
Omar Faruk, Officer-in-Charge of Boro Dargha Highway Police Station, confirmed that the highway patrol team was present at the spot to address the illegally parked truck. “Our team had just arrived when the bus rammed into the truck and our patrol vehicle. Two passengers were killed instantly. Our vehicle has been extensively damaged, and seven people were injured,” he said.
Both the passenger bus and the cargo truck have been seized, and legal procedures are underway. Police suspect reckless driving and poor visibility may have contributed to the accident.