Two garment factory workers were killed and at least three others sustained severe injuries when a sand-laden lorry collided with a passenger-carrying pickup van in Mymensingh’s Nandail upazila on Saturday evening. The fatal head-on crash occurred at around 7:00 pm in the Bahadur Nagar area along the Nandail-Trishal road, throwing several passengers onto the tarmac on impact.
Police believe the deceased, both aged around 40, were ready-made garment workers travelling to their workplaces in Gazipur. Officers have not yet formally identified the victims, as their bodies remain preserved at the local health facility awaiting family confirmation and formal post-mortem examinations.
According to eyewitnesses and the pickup driver, Kabirul Islam, the vehicle departed Netrokona bus stand shortly after 4:00 pm, carrying at least 22 garment factory workers bound for Maona in Gazipur. As the vehicle navigated the Bahadur Nagar stretch of the Nandail-Trishal road, the driver attempted to yield space to an oncoming sand-laden lorry. The lorry struck the pickup with immense force, flinging multiple passengers out of the open vehicle cargo bed and onto the hard road surface. Both victims died on the spot after sustaining severe head trauma.
Three of the injured passengers have been identified as Sabbir, 35, son of Abdur Razzaq from Mallikpur in Netrokona, along with Iqbal Hossain Rana, 35, and his younger brother Mazharul Islam, 20, both sons of Abdul Jalil from the same neighbourhood. Recounting the ordeal from his hospital bed, Iqbal Hossain Rana stated that he works at a garment factory in Maona. He had boarded the pickup at Banshati in Netrokona alongside his younger brother following a weekend visit home, only to be caught in the sudden catastrophe midway through their journey.
Fire service personnel from the Nandail station rushed to the scene immediately after receiving emergency calls. Working alongside local residents, rescuers recovered the deceased and transported the injured to the Nandail Upazila Health Complex for urgent medical treatment. Confirming the incident, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Nandail Police Station, Azharul Islam, stated that law enforcement officers seized the passenger pickup at the crash site. However, the driver of the sand-laden lorry fled the area with his vehicle immediately after the collision. Police have launched drives to track down the fleeing driver and lorry while continuing efforts to verify the identities of the deceased.
