A joyful evening ride on a newly purchased motorbike ended in tragedy in Chattogram’s Patiya upazila when a speeding truck collided head-on with the vehicle, killing a ten-year-old girl and leaving two of her young cousins critically injured.
The collision took place at approximately 6:00 pm on Sunday (27 September) in the Kachharipukur Par area of Kolagaon Union under Patiya upazila.
The deceased child has been identified as Pohela Barua, a third-grade pupil at Kolagaon Government Primary School. She was the daughter of Nandan Barua, a resident of Barua Para in Ward 2 of Kolagaon Union. Her two cousins, seven-year-old Partha Barua and five-year-old Tirtha Barua, sustained severe injuries in the impact. Both boys are first-grade pupils at the same primary school; Partha is the son of Udayan Barua, whilst Tirtha is the son of Chhoton Barua.
According to local residents and family members, Nandan Barua had recently bought a new motorcycle and decided to take his daughter and two young nephews out for an evening ride around the village. As they were returning home along the road near Kachharipukur Par, a speeding lorry heading towards Pachuria swerved from the opposite direction and rammed directly into the motorcycle.
The violence of the impact threw the passengers onto the tarmac. Ten-year-old Pohela died instantly at the scene from fatal trauma. Local residents rushed to the crash site to rescue the victims and arranged immediate transport for the two critically injured boys. Tirtha Barua was rushed to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, while Partha Barua was admitted to Parkview Hospital in the Panchlaish area of the city. Attending medical staff reported that both children remain in a critical condition.
News of the tragedy cast a heavy pall of grief over the Barua Para neighbourhood. What was intended as a celebratory family outing turned into a scene of mourning, leaving relatives and neighbours distraught as the young girl’s lifeless body was brought home.
Jafar Ahmed, a member of Ward 2 of Kolagaon Union Council, confirmed the details of the crash, explaining that Nandan Barua had taken his daughter and two nephews out on his new motorcycle when the fast-moving lorry collided with them head-on, resulting in the instant death of one child and severe injuries to the other two.
Police officers arrived at the scene shortly after being alerted by villagers. Inspector Nahid Hasan Mridha, In-Charge of the Kalarpol Police Outpost, confirmed that officers seized the lorry involved in the fatal incident and transported it to the police outpost. The driver, identified as Md Ismail, was taken into custody on the spot. Inspector Mridha stated that formal legal proceedings are currently underway against the driver and the vehicle owners.
