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A case has been filed over the accident under the Road Transport Act
Published : 04 Apr 2025, 03:15 PM
Police have yet to uncover the whereabouts of the bus driver who was involved in the head-on collision between a bus and a microbus Chattogram’s Lohagara that resulted in the deaths of 11 people.
Although filed a case over the accident has been filed by the Highway Police, no trace of the driver has been found, according to Dohazari Highway Police Station chief Shuvo Ranjan Chakma.
"A case has been filed over the incident under the Road Transport Act-2018, but the bus driver could not be identified," he said.
However, based on the initial information regarding the accident, Highway Police chief and Additional Inspector General Delwar Hossain Miah said on Thursday that the driver of the Relax Paribahan bus that caused the accident in Lohagara was "overloaded".
“Because of this, he was a bit drowsy. He was driving from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar via Chattogram. The accident occurred when the driver could no longer control the bus after going around the bend in Jangalia. The road may also have been a bit slippery due to salt water.”
Sixteen people were killed and at least 30 injured in three separate accidents on the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar Highway in the span of 48 hours in the Jangalia area of Lohagara around the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays.
Eleven passengers on a microbus have died after a bus crashed into the vehicle on Wednesday morning. About 30-35 yards away from the accident site, another collision between a bus and a minibus led to five deaths on the morning of Eid.
On Tuesday, two microbuses overturned on the road and fell into a nearby ditch, injuring 12 people.
When asked about the possible cause of Wednesday’s collision between the bus and the microbus, Dohazari Highway Police Station chief Shuvo suggested that the accident could have been caused by speeding.
He said, “I think this is a location where vehicles are moving fast in both directions. When coming from Cox’s Bazar, the road slopes down, so the speed of the vehicles is naturally higher. Since the road leading to the accident site runs straight, the speed of the vehicles going towards Cox’s Bazar is also higher.
“Under the circumstances, it seems that both vehicles were not following the prescribed speed limit. Both of them were speeding.”
The police officer also noted the age of the microbus driver as potentially playing a role in the accident.
He said, “The deceased driver of the microbus was an elderly man. He had travelled all night from Dhaka. It is a risk for such an elderly person to make a long journey.”
Seven people, including the microbus driver, died on the spot after the accident. Three later died while in hospital. Among the victims are three children.
An 18-year-old woman named Tasnia Islam Prema died while undergoing treatment at Chattogram Medical College Hospital on Friday.
Tasnia's father Rafiqul Islam Shamim, mother Lutfun Nahar Shumi, 8-year-old sister Liana, 14-year-old sister Anisha, and cousin Tanifa Yasmin previously died in the accident.
Aside from Anisha, all of them died at the scene of the accident. Anisha was declared dead by a doctor after she was brought to CMCH.
Rafiqul and his family lived in Dhaka’s Mirpur, according to Dohazar Highway Police.
The others killed in the accident are Dilip Biswas, his wife Sadhana Mondal, family friend Mukhtar Hossain, Sadhana’s father Ashish Mondal and microbus driver Yusuf Ali.
Two other victims -- Aradhya Biswas, 6, and a youth named Durjoy Mondal -- are receiving treatment at CMCH.
CMCH Director Brig Gen Taslim Uddin said that Aradhya had been sent to Dhaka’s Square Hospital for treatment on Friday morning. The hospital’s owner is taking responsibility for her care, he said.
