Three people were killed and at least 15 others injured after a passenger bus collided head-on with a sand-laden dump truck in Shahrashti upazila of Chandpur on Tuesday morning.
The accident occurred at around 8am in the Baniyacho area on the Chandpur–Comilla Regional Highway, causing significant damage to both vehicles and briefly disrupting traffic along the busy route.
The deceased were identified as Abdul Wahab, 40, the driver of the sand-carrying dump truck; Kamal, 35, the driver of the passenger bus; and Shovon, 30, the bus assistant. Kamal was reportedly from Gaibandha, while Shovon hailed from Bagerhat.
According to eyewitnesses and fire service officials, the dump truck was travelling towards Comilla in the morning when it collided with an Al-Arafa Paribahan bus coming from Dinajpur towards Hajiganj. The two vehicles crashed head-on after reaching the Baniyacho section of the highway.
The impact was severe. The front portion of the bus was badly crushed, leaving several passengers trapped inside. The dump truck was also damaged in the collision. The extent of the damage made it difficult for rescuers to remove the victims immediately.
On receiving information about the crash, a rescue team from Shahrashti Fire Service rushed to the scene. Fire service personnel worked for nearly an hour to extricate the injured and the bodies from the wreckage of the two vehicles. The three victims died at the scene, officials said.
Local residents also joined the rescue effort, helping transport several injured passengers to hospital. Most of the injured were taken to Comilla Medical College Hospital for treatment. Three seriously injured people were initially taken to Shahrashti Upazila Health Complex by fire service personnel before being referred to the medical college hospital.
Aklima Jahan, an official at Shahrashti Upazila Health Complex, said several of the injured had suffered heavy blood loss and were in critical condition. They required treatment at a facility with more advanced medical support, prompting their referral to Comilla Medical College Hospital.
The collision also caused temporary disruption to traffic on the regional highway as the damaged vehicles and rescue operations occupied part of the road. Police later seized both the bus and the dump truck as part of the investigation.
Shahrashti police station officer-in-charge Mir Mahbubur Rahman said the bodies of the three deceased were taken to the police station. Authorities were also undertaking the necessary procedures concerning identification, notification of relatives and the subsequent handover of the bodies.
The exact cause of the collision was not immediately established. Police said they were investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Head-on collisions between passenger buses and heavy goods vehicles can have particularly severe consequences because of the size and weight of the vehicles involved. Speed control, maintaining a safe distance from oncoming traffic and careful driving are therefore crucial on regional highways, especially where buses and freight vehicles frequently operate.
Authorities are expected to examine the circumstances of the crash, including the movements of both vehicles, as part of efforts to determine how the collision occurred and whether any traffic or operational factors contributed to the tragedy.
