Gopalganj: A man was killed and at least 50 others injured in a road accident on the Dhaka-Khulna highway in Sadar upazila on Monday afternoon. The accident occurred around 2:00 pm in the Sonasur area when a Dhaka-bound microbus collided head-on with a passenger bus of ‘Kotalipa Express’ travelling towards Gopalganj.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, moments after the initial collision, a private car following the microbus reportedly lost control and crashed into the wrecked vehicle. The force of the collision caused the passenger bus to skid off the highway and plunge into a roadside ditch, while the microbus was left completely mangled. The unidentified driver of the microbus died on the spot.
Local residents, police, and members of the fire service rushed to the scene and launched an immediate rescue operation. The injured passengers were taken to Gopalganj Medical College Hospital and the district’s 250-bed General Hospital for treatment. Hospital authorities stated that several of the injured were in critical condition.
Deputy Assistant Director of Gopalganj Fire Station Shiplu Ahmed mentioned that firefighters recovered the body of the deceased driver from the crushed microbus and rescued numerous injured passengers with assistance from locals. Authorities are yet to identify the deceased driver, and further investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.