Staff reporter:
At least 8 people were killed and over 32 injured in two separate road accidents in Noakhali and Habi-ganj districts yesterday.
A report from Noakhali said, five people including two women were killed when a speeding truck rammed into a CNG-run auto-rickshaw on Basurhat-Sonapur regional road in Kabirhat upazila of Noakhali district on Tuesday afternoon.
The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately.
Farid Ahmed, assistant director of Fire Service and Civil Defence in Noakhali district town, said the accident occurred around 2:40pm when the truck crashed into the autorickshaw in front of Kabirhat Sen-ior Alia Madrasha, leaving two women and the auto driver dead on the spot and two others injured.
Two other victims succumbed to their injuries on the way to Kabirhat Upazila Health Complex, he said.
The truck was heading towards Kabirhat from Basurhat, he said.
Another report from Habiganj said, at least three people were killed and 32 others injured when two pas-senger buses of Ena Paribahan and Royal Coach collided head-on on the Dhaka–Sylhet Highway in Hab-iganj yesterday afternoon.
The deceased were identified as Raju Mia, 45, son of Mukit Mia of Barachar village under Nabiganj upazila, and Hanif, 60, son of Abul Khayer from Shahibagh area in Sreemangal. The identity of another victim, aged around 40, could not be confirmed immediately.
The accident occurred around noon in the Kadamtoli area of Shayestaganj upazila when a Sylhet-bound Ena Paribahan bus lost control and collided head-on with a Royal Coach bus coming from the opposite direction, police and witnesses said. Two people died on the spot, while at least 32 others from both ve-hicles were injured.
On information, police and fire service personnel rushed to the scene, rescued the injured, and sent them to local hospitals. The collision caused a temporary traffic jam on the busy highway.
Shayestaganj Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abu Taher Dewan said the injured were rescued, and both damaged buses were removed from the road, restoring normal traffic movement. Ef-forts are underway to identify one of the deceased, he added.
According to Habiganj Sadar Hospital authorities, 32 injured passengers were admitted, and 11 of them, who were in critical condition, were transferred to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment.
The critically injured include Ful Mia (59), Sudhanshu (27), Habibur (30), Mahmud (30), Monir (17), Mridha, Kausar (18), Shamim (40), Azizul (40), Saiful (29), and Saikat (28).
As of filing this report, Raju Mia’s body remained at Habiganj Sadar Hospital, while the other two were kept at Shayestaganj Highway Police Station. The bodies will be handed over to their families after postmortem.
