A devastating road accident on the Matlab–Gauripur Pennai highway in Chandpur’s Matlab South upazila has taken the life of a young woman and left four others critically injured, triggering local outrage and an impromptu blockade of public transport.
The incident occurred early on Saturday morning near the Nagda Bori Bari section of the highway. A battery-powered auto-rickshaw carrying members of an extended family collided head-on with an oncoming bus operated by Jainpur Paribahan. The victim, identified as 26-year-old Sadia Akter, died on the spot from the impact.
The crash left four others severely injured, including the driver of the auto-rickshaw, Roman Hossain (45), alongside passenger Khorsheda Begum (58), Jilani (28), and Parveen (40). The victims are closely related: Sadia was the daughter-in-law of Khorsheda Begum, the sister-in-law of Jilani, and the wife of Parveen’s younger brother. Her husband, Ismail Hossain, is currently working in Saudi Arabia, leaving behind their four-year-old daughter.
Family members revealed that the group was travelling early in the morning to attend the funeral of a relative, Raziya Begum (50), who had passed away the previous evening. The sudden collision transformed a journey of mourning into a second tragedy for the family.
First responders and local residents rushed the injured to the Matlab Upazila Health Complex. Attending medical staff cited their conditions as critical, transferring all four individuals to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for specialised emergency care.
In the immediate aftermath, angered locals detained the bus driver, identified as Kausar, holding him in a village facility near the local mosque whilst enforcing a halt on bus operations along the route. Officers from Matlab South Police Station arrived promptly at the scene to restore order. Sub-Inspector Delwar Hossain took the driver into formal custody and seized the vehicle.
Matlab South Police Station Officer-in-Charge Hafizur Rahman Manik confirmed that law enforcement dispatched personnel immediately upon receiving the alarm. Police have impounded the bus, detained Kausar, and initiated a formal inquiry to ensure complete legal proceedings. Traffic on the route subsequently resumed once police cleared the area.
