Road, rail accidents across six districts kill 27 during Eid holidays, prompting probes

Death toll rises to 27 as the prime minister offers condolences and orders probes into the accidents

At least 27 people have been killed and 26 others injured in a series of accidents across six districts as holidayers navigated relatively empty roads during the Eid-ul-Fitr break.

The casualties were reported between late Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, with the deadliest incident occurring in Cumilla, where a train smashed into a passenger bus.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has expressed deep sorrow over the casualties caused by accidents in different parts of the country, including the one in Cumilla.

He also ordered authorities to pinpoint any lapses behind the incidents and take necessary measures.

Cumilla: Train Ploughs into Bus

A horrific collision between a Dhaka Mail train and a “Mamun Special” bus left 12 people dead and eight others injured at the Paduar Bazar level crossing in Cumilla.

The accident occurred around 3am on Sunday.

Police said the bus, travelling from Chuadanga to Lakshmipur, drove onto the tracks just as the train was passing. The impact was so severe that the train dragged the wreckage of the bus for nearly a kilometre.

The dead include Tajul Islam, 67, Juhad Biswas, 24, Sirajul Islam, 70, and his wife Kohinoor Begum, 55, Babul Chowdhury, 55, Phachiar Rahman, 26, Sohel Rana, 25, Nazrul Islam Raihan, 45, and 9-year-old Saeeda, identified with a single name.

The casualties also included a driver's family from Jashore: Liju Akhter, 26, and her two young daughters, Khadija, 6, and Mariam, 3.

Habiganj: Van Plunges into Ditch

In Habiganj’s Madhabpur, four people were killed after a pickup van veered off the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway and fell into a roadside ditch on Sunday morning.

Shayestaganj Highway Police chief Shubho Ranjan Chakma identified three of the victims as passengers Asma Akhter, 40, her son Sajib, 13, and Ibrahim, the driver -- the last two identified with single names.

Feni: Three-Way Crash on Highway

A triple collision involving a bus, an ambulance, and a motorcycle left three people dead and four critically injured near the Rampur Bridge in Feni.

The accident occurred at dawn on Sunday on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway.

Mahipal Highway Police chief Asadul Islam identified two of the dead as Mohammad Morshed, 39, and a 38-year-old known only as Sohag, 38.

Naogaon

A 12-year-old boy identified only as Hridoy died on Saturday night when a shallow-engine-driven vehicle carrying a group of friends overturned into a pond in Raninagar. Five others were injured.

Natore

A 29-year-old man, Zulfiqar, identified with a single name, was killed in Baraigram on Sunday morning when his private car lost control and slammed into a tree on the Natore-Pabna highway.

Kishoreganj

Two friends on a motorcycle were killed and another was injured after being hit by a pickup van in Kishoreganj’s Kuliarchar Upazila.

The accident occurred on Sunday afternoon in Dariyakandi of Chhaysuti Union on the Bhairab-Kishoreganj regional highway, said Bhairab Highway Police Outpost chief Suman Kumar Chowdhury.

The dead have been identified as Bijoy, 18, identified with a single name, and his friend Jabir Hossain, 18, both residents of Dariyakandi.