Four people were killed and at least eight others injured after a passenger bus collided head-on with a leguna on the Cox’s Bazar–Chattogram highway in Chakaria, Cox’s Bazar, on Thursday morning.
The accident occurred at around 7am in the Khutakhali Nayapara area of Chakaria. Police said the collision involved a Cox’s Bazar-bound passenger bus travelling from Noakhali Sadar and a leguna heading towards Chakaria from Eidgaon. The small local vehicle is also commonly known as a ‘chharpoka’ in the area.
According to Malumghat Highway Police Sub-Inspector Shamsuzzaman, the bus operated by Lal-Shobuj Paribahan reached the Khutakhali Nayapara section of the highway when it collided with the leguna coming from the opposite direction. The force of the impact left the smaller vehicle badly mangled, trapping and seriously injuring several of its occupants.
Local residents rushed to the scene immediately after the crash and helped rescue the injured. Emergency responders and police later assisted in taking the victims to Malumghat Christian Memorial Hospital and Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital for treatment.
The four people who died were identified as Mohammad Rafiq, 28, son of the late Abul Kashem of Eidgaon; Mohammad Jiabul Haque, 25, son of Aminul Haque; Mohammad Jasim Uddin, 25, son of the late Matiur Rahman of Segunbagicha village in Khutakhali; and Mohammad Shahed, 27, son of the late Manzur Alam of Shiyapara in Fulchhari.
Jasim Uddin died while receiving treatment at Malumghat Christian Memorial Hospital. Later, Shahed, Rafiq and Jiabul died at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital, bringing the confirmed death toll to four.
Police said several injured passengers were still undergoing treatment. Among them are Jiabul Haque, 40, from the New Office area of Eidgaon; Sarwar, 19, of Napitkhali; Syed Alam, 50; and Delwar Hossain, 35, of Khutakhali, who were receiving treatment at Malumghat Christian Memorial Hospital. Syed Karim, 30, from Teknaf, was being treated at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital. Initial information also indicated that several other injured people had received medical attention.
The Cox’s Bazar–Chattogram highway is a major transport corridor in the region, carrying large numbers of passengers and goods vehicles every day. The mixed movement of high-speed buses and smaller local transport vehicles can create significant safety risks, particularly at busy sections of the highway.
Road safety concerns in such areas often include excessive speed, unsafe overtaking and the operation of vehicles without proper registration or identification. The presence of a numberless leguna in this crash has also raised questions about compliance with transport regulations, although police have yet to establish whether this factor contributed directly to the collision.
Following the accident, police seized both the bus and the leguna from the scene. The bodies were handed over to the victims’ families after the necessary legal procedures, according to Sub-Inspector Shamsuzzaman.
Police said legal proceedings were under way. Investigators will examine how the collision occurred and determine whether negligence, reckless driving, excessive speed or any other factor was responsible for the fatal crash. Authorities are also expected to assess the circumstances surrounding the leguna’s operation and its lack of a registration number as part of the investigation.
