A 10-year-old girl was killed and her two cousins were seriously injured after a truck collided with the motorcycle on which they were travelling with her father in Patiya, Chattogram, on Sunday evening.
The accident occurred at around 6pm on 27 September in the Kachharipukur Par area of Kolagaon Union in Patiya upazila.
The deceased was identified as Pahela Barua, daughter of Nandan Barua of Barua Para in Ward No. 2 of Kolagaon Union. She was a Year Three pupil at Kolagaon Government Primary School.
Her cousins, Partha Barua, aged seven, and Tirtha Barua, aged five, were seriously injured in the collision. Partha is the son of Udayan Barua, while Tirtha is the son of Chhoton Barua. Both children were pupils in the first year at the same primary school.
The three children were cousins. They had gone out on a new motorcycle with Pahela’s father, Nandan Barua, for a short ride.
According to local residents, a truck travelling from the opposite direction suddenly collided head-on with the motorcycle in the Kachharipukur Par area. Pahela died at the scene.
Local people rushed to the crash site after the collision and helped rescue the two injured children. They were taken to hospital in serious condition. Tirtha was admitted to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, while Partha was taken to Parkview Hospital in the city’s Panchlaish area. Their conditions were reported to be critical.
The accident cast a pall of grief over Barua Para after news reached the family on Sunday evening. Pahela had left home expecting to spend some time riding on her father’s new motorcycle and return with her cousins. Instead, her body was brought back after the fatal collision, leaving relatives devastated.
Jafar Ahmed, a member representing Ward No. 2 of Kolagaon Union Parishad, said Nandan Barua had taken his daughter and two nephews out on the new motorcycle. A truck travelling towards Pachuria then collided with the motorcycle.
“One person was killed and two others were seriously injured in the collision,” he said.
Police went to the scene after receiving information from local residents. The truck was subsequently seized and taken to the Kalarpul Police Outpost. Its driver, identified as Mohammad Ismail, was also detained.
Inspector Nahid Hasan Mridha, in charge of the Kalarpul Police Outpost, confirmed that the truck had been seized following the accident and that the driver had been detained.
He said legal proceedings would be taken in connection with the incident.
The circumstances of the collision, including the precise manner in which the truck and motorcycle came into contact, will be addressed as part of the police proceedings. For the family, however, the immediate consequences are already devastating: Pahela has lost her life, while her two young cousins remain under treatment after suffering serious injuries.
