A tragic road accident claimed the life of a three-year-old girl in Chandpur’s Matlab Uttar upazila on Sunday morning after she was struck by an engine-driven trolley while walking alongside her mother.
The incident occurred at approximately 10:30 am on the paved road directly in front of Suruj Plaza, adjacent to the eastern side of the Matlab Uttar Police Station. The victim, identified as three-year-old Fariya, was the daughter of Kawsar Bepari and Farjana Akter, residents of the Bepari house in Krishnapur village under the same upazila.
Witnesses and police sources confirmed that Fariya was holding her mother’s hand as they walked past Suruj Plaza towards the Chenggarchar market area. Without warning, a fast-moving, illegally operated engine-driven trolley ploughed into the toddler, leaving her critically injured on the road. Onlookers rushed the bleeding child to the nearby Matlab Uttar Upazila Health Complex, where the attending physician pronounced her dead upon arrival.
Overcome with grief, Farjana Akter recounted the devastating moments leading up to the crash. She explained that her daughter was holding her hand while walking down the street when the trolley suddenly struck her. The grieving mother watched helplessly as her child collapsed, later receiving the unbearable news at the hospital that her daughter could not be saved. She urged the authorities to take strict legal action against reckless drivers to prevent similar tragedies from befalling other families.
Inspectors from Matlab Uttar Police Station arrived at the scene shortly after the incident to secure the area. Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Kamrul Hasan confirmed that law enforcement officers seized the involved vehicle and transported it to the police station. The driver of the trolley fled the scene immediately following the collision, and police efforts are currently underway to identify and apprehend the absconding suspect. Formal legal proceedings regarding the fatal collision are presently being processed.
This fatal crash highlights a growing public safety concern across rural Bangladesh, where improvised, engine-driven vehicles—often locally constructed using modified agricultural diesel engines—operate on public roads without valid clearance, safety features, or licensed drivers. Known locally as “trolleys” or “shallow-engine vehicles,” these transports are frequently cited by road safety advocates for causing severe accidents due to their lack of proper braking systems, poor structural integrity, and reckless operation in congested market areas.
