A 28-year-old expatriate worker from Qatar was killed when a passenger bus operated by Hanif Paribahan struck his motorcycle on the Dhaka–Barishal Highway in Gournadi, Barishal, on Friday morning.
The victim, identified as Opu Majhi, died at the scene of the accident, which occurred at around 10am on 16 October in the Tarakupi area of Barthi Union in Gournadi Upazila. He was the son of Salek Majhi and hailed from the village of Kataksthal in the same upazila.
According to police and eyewitnesses, the bus had departed from Dhaka at around 7.30am with passengers on board and was travelling towards Barishal. When it reached the Tarakupi area approximately two and a half hours later, it collided with a motorcycle approaching from the opposite direction.
Eyewitnesses reported that the bus struck the motorcycle with considerable force, leaving the two-wheeler severely mangled and trapped beneath the vehicle. Opu, who was riding the motorcycle, sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene.
The circumstances surrounding the collision are being examined, although the precise cause of the accident has not yet been established through an investigation. Reports from witnesses suggested that the bus was travelling at excessive speed when the crash occurred. However, the allegation will require further verification by the relevant authorities.
Following the incident, personnel from the Gournadi Highway Police Station attended to the matter and took the necessary steps. Police seized both the bus and the motorcycle involved in the collision as part of the investigation.
Sub-Inspector Md Roman Molla of Gournadi Highway Police Station confirmed the seizure of the two vehicles. He also said that Opu’s body had been handed over to his relatives without a post-mortem examination, following a request from the family. Police were preparing to file a case in connection with the incident, he added.
Opu’s death has brought renewed attention to road safety on Bangladesh’s highways, where collisions involving buses and smaller vehicles can have devastating consequences. Motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable in crashes with larger vehicles because they have limited physical protection against the force of an impact.
Excessive speed, unsafe overtaking, failure to maintain a safe distance and poor judgement when approaching oncoming traffic are among the factors that can contribute to serious road accidents. Establishing the precise circumstances of individual incidents, however, requires a proper investigation rather than reliance on initial eyewitness accounts alone.
For Opu’s family in Kataksthal, the sudden loss of a 28-year-old relative is a personal tragedy. The seizure of the vehicles and the preparation of a police case mark the initial steps in addressing the incident, while further details about the cause of the collision and any subsequent legal action are expected to emerge as the investigation progresses.
