Two Trucks Collide on Dhaka-Sylhet Highway, Two Killed

Two people were killed after a head-on collision between two trucks caused a CNG-powered auto-rickshaw to be crushed on the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway in Madhabpur, Habiganj, on Sunday afternoon.

The accident occurred at Bejura in Madhabpur upazila at around 2.30pm. The deceased were identified as Abul Khayer, 45, a resident of West Madhabpur, and Ripon Mia, 27, from Ratanpur village. Khayer was driving the auto-rickshaw, while Ripon was working as a helper on one of the trucks involved in the collision.

According to eyewitnesses and police sources, a sand-laden truck travelling towards Dhaka collided head-on with an oil-carrying truck heading towards Sylhet. The sand truck bore the registration number Sylhet Dha-41-0074, while the oil truck was registered as Mymensingh Cha-11-0800.

The auto-rickshaw was passing alongside the trucks when the collision took place. The force of the impact caused the sand truck to lose control and crash into the three-wheeler. The auto-rickshaw became trapped underneath the heavy vehicle, leaving its driver with little chance of escape.

Khayer and Ripon died at the scene, according to the authorities. The crash caused alarm among people in the surrounding area, with local residents rushing towards the site shortly after the incident.

A team from the Madhabpur Fire Service Station, led by station officer Montosh Mallik, arrived after receiving the report. Rescue workers began removing the victims from the wreckage and subsequently recovered the bodies from the accident site. A crowd gathered during the rescue operation, reflecting the severity of the crash and the disruption it caused along the busy highway.

The three vehicles involved were later taken into the custody of the Shaistaganj Highway Police. Officers are examining the circumstances surrounding the collision and are expected to determine how the two heavy vehicles came into a head-on collision before the auto-rickshaw was struck.

Shubha Ranjan Chakma, officer-in-charge of Shaistaganj Highway Police Station, said the bodies of the two victims had been sent to hospital. He also said that although rescue operations caused a temporary disruption, traffic on the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway had returned to normal.

The Dhaka-Sylhet Highway is a major road corridor connecting the capital with Sylhet and serving a substantial volume of passenger and commercial traffic. Buses, lorries, private cars, microbuses and smaller three-wheelers regularly share the route. The mix of heavy and light vehicles can make collisions particularly dangerous, especially when a smaller vehicle becomes caught in an accident involving large trucks.

The Madhabpur crash illustrates that danger. What began as a collision between two heavy vehicles quickly involved a much smaller passenger vehicle, turning the incident into a fatal multi-vehicle crash.

The deaths have left two families mourning, while the incident has once again raised concerns about road safety on major highways. Maintaining controlled speeds, keeping a safe distance from other vehicles and remaining alert in areas with mixed traffic are among the basic precautions that can help reduce the severity of highway crashes.

Police are continuing to look into the circumstances of the accident. No further details about the cause of the collision were immediately available.