Four people lost their lives and at least 11 others sustained injuries in a devastating road collision between a covered van and a microbus carrying guests returning from a wedding reception. The fatal accident occurred around 2:30 am on Saturday along the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar Highway in the Shikalbaha Chaumuhani area under Karnafuli upazila.
Three of the deceased have been identified as five-year-old Md Ferdous Alam, 17-year-old Miftah, and the microbus driver, Munna, 40. Police are working to establish the identity of the fourth victim.
According to police reports and local witnesses, the passengers were returning to Eidgah in Cox’s Bazar after attending a wedding ceremony at a community centre in the Agrabad area of Chattogram city. The journey turned tragic when the microbus reached Shikalbaha Chaumuhani and crashed head-on into a covered van attempting a U-turn on the highway. The force of the impact crumpled the front section of the passenger vehicle.
Young Ferdous Alam and teenager Miftah died on the spot. Local residents, alerted by the crash, rushed to assist, while personnel from the Fire Service and Civil Defence and Karnafuli Police Station arrived shortly after to extricate the victims.
Rescuers transported at least 13 injured passengers to Chattogram Medical College Hospital for emergency treatment. Medical staff confirmed that the microbus driver, Munna, and an unidentified male passenger succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment at the facility. Hospital authorities noted that several of the remaining 11 hospitalized victims are receiving intensive care for severe injuries.
Officer-in-Charge of Karnafuli Police Station, Nur Ahmad, confirmed that law enforcement seized the covered van involved in the crash. However, both the driver and his assistant fled the scene immediately following the incident. Police have launched an operation to trace the fleeing crew, and legal proceedings regarding the collision are currently underway.
