Fatal Bus Crash on Dhaka-Aricha Highway Leaves One Dead

A tragic road accident on the perennially hazardous Dhaka-Aricha highway has claimed the life of a passenger and left nearly a dozen others injured. The incident occurred on Sunday morning in the Shibaloy upazila of Manikganj district, once again highlighting the persistent dangers of reckless driving and overtaking on Bangladesh’s major transport arteries.

According to police and local eyewitnesses, a Dhaka-bound passenger bus operated by ‘Selfie Paribahan’ lost control and plunged into a roadside canal near the Barangail bus stand area at approximately 8:00 am. The vehicle had commenced its journey from the Paturia ferry ghat earlier that morning.

Witnesses reported that the driver was travelling at a reckless speed, attempting to overtake another vehicle. During this high-speed manoeuvre, one of the bus’s front tyres burst suddenly. The combination of excessive velocity and the sudden mechanical failure left the driver unable to stabilise the vehicle. Consequently, the bus careened off the tarmac and crashed into the canal situated precariously between two bridges.

Local residents rushed to the scene immediately following the crash, launching a frantic rescue operation before emergency services arrived. They managed to pull the trapped passengers from the partially submerged wreckage.

Ten to twelve passengers sustained varying degrees of injuries and were swiftly transported to various state-run and private hospitals across the district and neighbouring upazilas. Tragically, one of the critically injured passengers, identified as 50-year-old Delwar Hossain, succumbed to his injuries shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Confirming the details of the incident, Harun or Rashid, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the Barangail Highway Police Station, stated that the blowout of the front tyre at high speed caused the driver to lose absolute control of the vehicle. He confirmed the death of the passenger and noted that efforts were underway to salvage the damaged bus from the canal using heavy wreckage cranes.

The police chief added that the authorities are currently initiating the necessary legal procedures regarding the accident.

This latest fatality underscores the systemic road safety issues plaguing the country’s highways. The Dhaka-Aricha highway remains notorious for high-speed collisions, frequently attributed to aggressive overtaking, poorly maintained vehicles, and a lack of stringent law enforcement on speed limits. Whilst transport authorities have frequently promised stricter monitoring, tragic incidents of this nature continue to disrupt families and claim innocent lives.