Bangladesh’s Minister of State for Public Administration and Food, Abdul Bari, and his wife were injured on Friday morning when the government vehicle carrying them lost control and crashed into a paddy field in Bogura’s Shibganj upazila.
The accident occurred at around 8.45am near Kichak Bazar in the Gopinathpur area along the Joypurhat regional highway, according to police and eyewitnesses.
Bari and his wife, Nazma Ara Begum, were taken to the 400-bed Joypurhat General Hospital for medical treatment. Both sustained injuries in the crash, although the available information did not indicate that either suffered a life-threatening condition.
A pedestrian, 60-year-old Firoza Begum, was also injured after being struck by the minister’s vehicle. She was taken to TMSS Medical College Hospital in Bogura, where she was admitted for treatment. Firoza, a resident of Gopinathpur village, is the widow of the late Nizam Uddin.
Police and eyewitness accounts said the minister was travelling from Dhaka to Kalai upazila in Joypurhat, which is his electoral constituency. His wife was accompanying him in the government vehicle. A police security vehicle was travelling with them as part of the minister’s security arrangements.
The security vehicle passed through the Gopinathpur section of the highway shortly before the accident. Firoza Begum was then attempting to cross the road from one side to the other when she came in front of the minister’s vehicle.
According to Nazma Ara Begum, the driver tried to avoid hitting the pedestrian but lost control of the vehicle in the process. The car subsequently veered off the highway and came to rest in the adjacent paddy field.
“We were travelling after the police vehicle had passed when a woman suddenly attempted to cross the highway and came in front of our car. The driver tried to save her and lost control,” Nazma said. She added that both she and the minister suffered injuries to several parts of their bodies.
Following the accident, Bari and his wife were transferred to another vehicle and taken to Joypurhat for medical attention. Police were also working to recover the damaged government vehicle from the paddy field.
Shibganj police station officer-in-charge Shahinuzzaman confirmed that the minister and his wife had been sent to Joypurhat in another vehicle. He said efforts were under way to recover the vehicle involved in the accident.
The incident highlights the risks faced by both motorists and pedestrians on regional highways, particularly around markets and populated areas where people frequently cross roads. Sudden pedestrian crossings can leave drivers with very little time to react, while attempts to avoid a collision can themselves result in vehicles leaving the carriageway.
