A tragic early-morning road accident on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway has claimed the lives of a father and his four-year-old son in Bandar upazila, Narayanganj. The victims were struck while standing by the roadside when a passenger bus collided head-on with a heavy cement-laden truck travelling illegally on the wrong side of the highway. At least four to five other individuals sustained injuries in the impact and required urgent medical care.
The incident occurred around 4:30 am on Wednesday, 28 October, near the Keodhala bus stand area. Officers identified the deceased as 35-year-old Shafiqul Islam and his young son, Bipul. Shafiqul, a brick kiln labourer hailing from Uttar Khagura village in Gaibandha district, had been standing near the carriageway with his child when the collision took place.
According to eyewitnesses and preliminary reports gathered by law enforcement, the passenger bus was travelling along its designated Chittagong-bound lane when it encountered the oncoming freight truck. The lorry, heavily loaded with cement, was being driven against the traffic flow in direct breach of basic road safety regulations. Unable to avoid a collision in the early hours, the bus crashed into the truck, causing the vehicles to veer violently toward the edge of the road where the bystanders were standing.
Both Shafiqul and his son died on the spot from severe physical trauma before emergency responders could intervene. Four to five passengers inside the bus suffered various injuries during the crash. Upon receiving reports of the disaster, team members from the Kanchpur Highway Police Station and Bandar Police Station rushed to the scene to secure the area and conduct rescue operations.
With the assistance of local residents, emergency crews extracted the injured from the wreckage and arranged for their immediate transport to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment. Police officials noted that the exact identities of the injured passengers could not be confirmed immediately given the chaotic situation following the crash.
Confirming the incident, Sub-Inspector Shafiul Alam of Kanchpur Highway Police Station stated that the driver of the cement truck driving on the wrong side was taken into custody at the scene. Law enforcement officers have impounded both the damaged bus and the truck as part of the ongoing investigation. Formal legal charges regarding reckless driving, illegal lane usage, and involuntary manslaughter are currently being prepared against the detained driver.
