Bus-truck collision kills 14, injures 30 in Natore

NATORE & SHARIATPUR, Oct 20: At least 14 people, including a child, an army officer and the drivers of both vehicles, were killed and at least 30 others injured in a head-on collision between a passenger bus and a sand-laden truck on the Bonpara-Pabna highway in Natore early Tuesday.

Five of the deceased were businessmen from Jajira upazila of Shariatpur district who were travelling to Taherpur in Rajshahi to purchase agricultural produce for their businesses. News of their deaths cast a pall of grief over their families, relatives, friends and fellow traders.

The accident occurred around 4:00am in the Sarkarpara area of Bonpara under Baraigram upazila. Police suspect that the bus collided with the truck while attempting to overtake another vehicle, although the exact cause will be determined through an investigation.

According to police and Fire Service sources, an RP Paribahan bus travelling from Barguna to Chapainawabganj collided head-on with a sand-laden truck coming from the opposite direction. The truck was carrying sand from Panchagarh to Jhenaidah.

Sub-Inspector Shamim Hossain of Bonpara Police Investigation Centre said the truck was travelling in the left lane when the speeding bus apparently attempted to overtake another vehicle and crashed into it. “Initial information suggests that the bus was moving at high speed and collided with the truck while overtaking. The actual cause will be confirmed after an investigation,” he said.

Nine people reportedly died at the scene, while five others succumbed to their injuries after being taken to hospital. The injured were taken to hospitals in Baraigram, Natore Sadar Hospital and Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.

At least 10 of the deceased had been identified by Tuesday, including five businessmen from Shariatpur. The five were Jewel Madbar, 40, son of Zahir Uddin Madbar of Ramkrishnapur Madbarkandi in Jajira; Salal Molla, 46, son of Jahan Uddin Molla of Dubisaybar Mollakandi; Sohag Shikdar, 30, son of Yunus Shikdar of the Dubisaybar Kazirhat area; Abdus Samad Fakir, 70, a trader from the Kazirhat area; and Shahin Bepari, 32, son of Razzak Bepari of Kathuria in Palerchar Union.

The other identified victims included Sohel Rana, 40, son of Abdul Hakim of Faradpur village in Godagari, Rajshahi; Anwar Haque, 30, son of Babar Ali of Chaipara village in Bagmara, Rajshahi; Tasfia, 8, daughter of Shahidul Islam of Subid Ali village in Mirzaganj, Patuakhali; Shahidul Islam, 45, son of Azahar Hawladar of Purba Subidkhali village in the same upazila; and Kalam, 35, the truck driver from Baranagar village in Jhenaidah.

Natore Superintendent of Police Shariful Islam said a serving army officer was also among the deceased. Authorities were working to identify the remaining victims.

The five businessmen from Jajira were travelling to Taherpur in Rajshahi to purchase agricultural products, including corn, onions, garlic and coriander, for resale in local markets.

According to local sources, they had long been involved in trading activities in and around the Kazirhat area of Jajira. Jewel Madbar dealt in various goods, including steel rods and cement, while Samad Fakir traded in miscellaneous products and Shahin Bepari was involved in the turmeric trade. Salal Molla and Sohag Shikdar also procured goods from different places for sale in the local market.

Didar Sardar, a businessman from Kazirhat who knew the victims through their trade, said their deaths had left the local business community devastated.

“I knew all of them through business, and we shared a good relationship. The news of their deaths is deeply distressing,” he said.

Officer-in-Charge of Jajira Police Station Md Saleh Ahmed said he had learned about the accident through social media but had not yet received formal notification from the relevant authorities in Natore or the victims’ families.

“Once we receive the necessary information regarding the transport of the bodies to Jajira, we will take the appropriate legal steps,” he said.