At least 14 people were killed in different road accidents in Jessore, Dinajpur, Kushtia , Meherpur and Gazipur districts on Saturday.
In Jessore , at least four people were killed and one was injured in a collision involving a covered van, a human hauler and a human hauler at Chawlia highway oil pump area on the Jessore-Khulna highway in Jessore in the morning.
The deceased were identified as Brishty Saha, 24, of Ghoragacha Sahapara; Anwar Ali, 70, of Chawlia area; e-bike driver Mohammad Ayub Ali, 43, of Ghuni Purbopara; and four-year-old Souvik Saha, son of Brishty Saha.
Noapara Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Fazlul Karim said Ayub Ali and Souvik Saha died at Jessore General Hospital.
According to witnesses, the speeding covered van coming from Khulna lost control and first hit the van and then crashed into the stationary e-bike, leaving two people dead on the spot and three others injured.
Following the crash, angry locals staged protests on the highway and set fire to the covered van. Police later brought the situation under control.
The OC said the driver of the covered van has been detained.
In Dinajpur, three motorcyclists were killed when a truck hit a motorcycle on Dinajpur–Gobindaganj road at Raniganj in Ghoraghat upazila of Dinajpur district.
The deceased were identified as Abdul Kaiyum Mushfique, 30, son of Al Amin; Saikat, son of Salim Uddin; and Al Amin, 38, son of Mosharraf Hossain of the upazila. All of them were construction workers.
The accident occurred around 9:00 am when a speeding truck crashed into the motorcycle while it was heading towards Kalabari, leaving one dead on the spot and two others injured, said in-charge of Ghoraghat Police Station, Shahidul Islam.
In Meherpur, two youths were killed in a head-on collision between a truck and a motorcycle in Bandar village under Meherpur Sadar.
The deceased were identified as Md Shovon, 20, son of Aminul Islam of Bandar Clubpara area in Sadar upazila, and Nayan Ahmed, 18, son of Hafizur Rahman of Khondkarpara in Meherpur town.
According to local sources, the duo was travelling by motorcycle from Meherpur to Mujibnagar when the accident occurred around 9 pm.
Their motorcycle collided head-on with a banana-laden truck parked on the roadside, leaving them critically injured.
Locals and members of the Fire Service rescued the victims and rushed them to Meherpur General Hospital, where the attending doctors declared them dead.
Officer-in-Charge (Investigation) of Meherpur Sadar Police Station Jahangir Selim confirmed the matter and said police had seized the truck and legal proceedings were underway.
In Gazipur, a pickup driver was killed and another person seriously injured in a triple collision involving a bus, a truck and a pickup van on the Dhaka-Tangail Highway in Kaliakair, Gazipur.
The accident occurred around 6:30 am in the Goalbathan area of Kaliakair , causing traffic disruption on the busy highway for nearly half an hour.
According to eyewitnesses, the pickup van carrying garments goods was travelling from Ashulia to the Gorai area in Tangail. When the vehicle reached Goalbathan, a speeding truck ahead suddenly reduced its speed. The pickup driver lost control and crashed into the rear of the truck.
In Khushtia, at least four people, including a woman, were killed and 23 others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck in Khoksa upazila of Kushtia.
The accident occurred around 12:00 noon in Shialdangi area on the Kushtia–Rajbari regional highway.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Kushtia Highway Police Station Abu Obayed said a bus of Tanha Paribahan collided head-on with a sand-laden truck near the Shialdangi Mosque area. Following the collision, the bus lost control and overturned into a roadside ditch.
Two passengers died on the spot, one died while being taken to the hospital, and another succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment.
Local residents immediately started rescue operations after the crash. Later, members of the Fire Service and police arrived at the scene and rescued the injured, sending them to different hospitals.
Khoksa Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Md Ariful Haque said that many injured passengers were receiving treatment at the hospital, while four critically injured victims were referred to the 250-bed Kushtia General Hospital.
