A leisure trip ended in tragedy in Faridpur’s Bhanga as three young friends, including two expatriate workers returning from Saudi Arabia, were killed in a head-on collision between a passenger bus and their motorcycle.
The accident took place at around 7pm on Saturday near Nowpara Bus Stand in Bhanga municipality along the Dhaka-Barishal highway.
The deceased have been identified as Chayon Molla, 23, who was riding the motorcycle, Siam Molla, 23, and Nayan Hossain, 21. All three were residents of Hasnahati village in Nagarkanda upazila of Faridpur and were close friends.
Chayon died at the scene of the crash. Siam and Nayan sustained critical injuries and were taken towards Dhaka by ambulance for treatment. However, both died on the way at around 10pm in the Keraniganj area.
Chayon was the son of Dalil Uddin Mondol of Hasnahati village. He worked in Saudi Arabia and had returned to Bangladesh during the Eid-ul-Adha holiday. His friend Siam was also employed in Saudi Arabia and had come home only about 20 days before the accident. He was the son of Azgar Molla, also from Hasnahati.
Nayan, the son of Enayet Hossain, had previously spent several months in Kurdistan. He returned to Bangladesh around a year ago and had been working for a courier company in the Nagarkanda area, delivering parcels by motorcycle.
According to Bhanga Highway Police, Chayon, Siam and Nayan had set out from Laskardia in neighbouring Nagarkanda upazila on Saturday afternoon. They travelled to Bhanga to spend time around the Bhanga Golchattar and nearby areas.
The three friends were returning home in the evening when the motorcycle reached the Nowpara Bus Stand area at around 7pm. At that point, it collided head-on with a passenger bus travelling from the opposite direction.
The force of the collision left all three riders seriously injured, with Chayon dying immediately at the scene. The circumstances surrounding the deaths of Siam and Nayan became clear several hours later when both succumbed to their injuries while being transported by ambulance towards Dhaka.
The deaths have caused grief in Hasnahati village, where the three young men were well known to one another and regularly spent time together. Their similar ages and close friendship meant they often travelled around together, according to local residents.
Mohammad Kaiyum Mia, a member of Ward 9 of Laskardia Union Parishad and a resident of Hasnahati village, said Chayon’s funeral prayer was held on Saturday night. The bodies of Siam and Nayan were brought back to the village on Sunday morning.
The bus involved in the collision had not been located by Sunday morning, according to Sergeant Azadur Rahman of Bhanga Highway Police Station. Police are searching for the vehicle as part of their efforts to establish what happened and identify the bus involved in the fatal crash.
The accident has once again drawn attention to the risks faced by motorcycle riders on busy highways, where collisions involving larger passenger vehicles can have devastating consequences. Police are continuing efforts to trace the bus and gather information about the circumstances of the crash.
