Two people were killed and another was seriously injured after a Shyamoli Paribahan bus struck a pedal-powered van in Mirpur upazila of Kushtia on Thursday morning.
The deceased have been identified as Bhanu Khatun, 55, a passenger on the van, and Kamrul Islam, 35, the van driver. Bhanu died at the scene, while Kamrul succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a hospital. The third person injured in the crash remains under treatment.
Bhanu Khatun was the wife of Hashem Ali and lived in the Swastipur area of Vadalia in Kushtia Sadar upazila. According to her family, she had travelled to her daughter’s in-laws’ home in the Nowda Azampur area of Sadarpur Union, Mirpur, several days before the accident.
On Thursday morning, Bhanu was travelling with her son-in-law in a pedal-powered van towards Khalishakundi market. They were reportedly heading there to have a refrigerator repaired.
The accident occurred at around 10.30am in front of Sadarpur Siddiqiya Dakhil Madrasa. Sheikh Mahyuddin Ahmed, superintendent of the madrasa, said the van was travelling towards Khalishakundi when its axle rod suddenly broke.
The mechanical failure caused the van to fall onto the road. A Shyamoli Paribahan bus travelling behind it then crashed into the van. The impact left Bhanu critically injured, and she died at the scene.
Kamrul, who was also seriously injured, was taken to hospital for treatment. He later died while receiving medical care. Another person sustained serious injuries in the crash and is currently being treated at hospital.
Mohammad Shahidul Islam, officer-in-charge of Mirpur Police Station, confirmed the deaths. He said police recovered the bodies from the scene and sent them to the mortuary of Kushtia General Hospital for post-mortem examinations.
The initial account indicates that the van’s axle rod broke while it was travelling along the road, causing it to fall into the path of the bus behind it. The incident highlights the risks faced by small, relatively vulnerable vehicles when mechanical failures occur on roads shared with larger passenger buses.
For the families involved, however, the immediate consequences are more personal. Bhanu had been visiting her daughter’s in-laws and was travelling to a nearby market when the crash occurred. Kamrul, who was operating the van, also lost his life after being taken to hospital.
Police have completed the initial recovery of the bodies, while the post-mortem examinations are expected to form part of the subsequent legal process concerning the accident.
