A sleeper coach was completely gutted by fire after colliding with another vehicle on the Dhaka–Chattogram Highway in Elliotganj, Daudkandi, Cumilla, early on Monday morning. The incident occurred at around 4.30am near the Reliable CNG Filling Station, but no casualties were reported as passengers managed to leave the vehicle quickly.
The coach, operated by Royal Cox Paribahan, was travelling from Cox’s Bazar to Dhaka when the accident occurred. According to police and eyewitnesses, the bus reached the Elliotganj area and struck a vehicle travelling ahead of it. The impact damaged the front section of the sleeper coach.
The fire reportedly broke out shortly after the collision, with preliminary accounts indicating that it may have originated around the bus’s gas cylinder. Once the flames appeared, they spread rapidly through the vehicle. Within a short period, the entire coach was engulfed, leaving little opportunity for passengers to retrieve their belongings.
The driver, staff members and passengers immediately evacuated the bus after noticing the fire. They moved away from the highway to a safer location while the flames intensified. The coach was subsequently reduced to a burnt-out shell.
Local resident Billal Hossain Molla said he noticed the fire in the early hours and saw people rushing towards the scene. According to him, the passengers were able to get out before the fire became uncontrollable. Another eyewitness, Saddam Hossain, said that when he arrived after hearing about the incident, the passengers had already moved to a safe distance from the burning vehicle.
Sub-Inspector Mohammad Faruk Islam of Elliotganj Highway Police Station said the fire followed the collision with the vehicle in front. Police arrived at the scene after receiving the alert and helped move passengers away from the immediate danger zone. No serious injuries had been reported at the time of the initial assessment.
The driver and other members of the bus crew reportedly left the scene after the incident. The damaged coach was taken into police custody as authorities began examining the circumstances surrounding the accident and subsequent fire.
The incident caused temporary anxiety and slowed traffic on the busy highway during the early morning hours. Traffic movement, however, returned to normal after the immediate situation was brought under control.
Authorities are investigating the precise circumstances of the collision, including how the fire began and whether the impact damaged the gas-cylinder system. The full extent of the financial loss will also be assessed. The incident once again highlights the importance of rapid evacuation procedures and safety measures on long-distance passenger coaches, particularly vehicles carrying fuel or gas systems. In this case, the swift evacuation of passengers appears to have prevented what could otherwise have been a major tragedy.
