Four passengers were killed and five others injured when a bus collided head-on with a Laguna vehicle on the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar highway in Chakaria, Cox's Bazar at early Thursday.
The crash occurred around 6:30 am in front of Baitul Mamur Jame Mosque in Nayapara, Khutakhali Union, when an AC bus of Lal Sabuj Paribahan heading toward Cox's Bazar collided head-on with a Laguna vehicle traveling from Eidgaon Upazila. The impact tore off the Laguna's roof, seriously injuring all nine passengers aboard.
The deceased were identified as Jasim Uddin(25), Mohammad Shahed(27), Md. Ziabul Haque(25) and Mohammad Rafiq(28) all residents of Chakaria and neighboring Eidgaon Upazila. The five injured admitted to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital include Ziabul Haque(40), Delwar Hossain(35), Syed Alam(50) also his son Mohammad Sarwar(19) and Syed Karim( 30).
Malumghat Highway Police aided by local residents rescued the injured and first took them to Malumghat Memorial Christian Hospital where one victim died during treatment. The remaining injured received primary treatment before being transferred to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital where three more died around 1 pm.
Sub-Inspector Md. Shamsuzzaman of Malumghat Highway Police Station confirmed four of the nine Laguna passengers died in the accident, which occurred during heavy morning rain. He said both vehicles were removed from the highway using a crane with restoring traffic flow within about an hour.
Legal proceedings are underway and the bodies of the deceased will be handed over to their families following formalities.
