At least four people were killed in a fatal head-on collision between a microbus and a picnic bus on the Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar highway at Chakaria upazila in Cox’s Bazar yesterday morning. Two others were injured in the accident.
The deceased were Joynal Abedin, 40, the microbus driver, and passengers Tahera Begum, 55, kindergarten teacher in Cox’s Bazar, her daughter Tasmima Akhtar, 25, a student at Brac University in Dhaka, and Koshinur Akhtar, 20, their household help, said Sub-Inspector Faizur Rahman, in-charge of Chiringa highway police outpost.
Tasmima and Tahera were on their way to Chittagong to shop for Tasmima’s wedding, which was on January 24, the SI added.
The injured, Tahera’s son Adnan Mohammed, 30, and Mizanur Rahman are undergoing treatment at Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH), said Nayek Shilbrata Barua of CMCH police outpost.
Quoting witnesses SI Faizur said a Cox’s Bazar-bound picnic bus collided head-on with the Chittagong-bound microbus on the highway around 10am, killing Joynal, Tahera and Kohinur on the spot.
The other three were rushed to Chokoria Upazila Health Complex, from where they were moved to the CMCH in a critical condition, said Probhash Chandra Dhar, OC at Chakaria police station.
Tasmima later succumbed to her injuries around 2:30pm.
On information, police seized the bus, but its driver managed to escape after the accident, SI Faizul said, adding that steps were being taken to catch the bus driver.
