A tragic road accident in Sunamganj claimed the lives of a mother and her daughter early Friday morning when a passenger bus plunged into a roadside ditch on its way to Tanguar Haor.
The accident occurred around 5:30 a.m. on Friday (October 24) near Shatrumardan Bagharkona village, adjacent to Pagla Bazar in Shantiganj upazila.
The deceased were identified as Monjura Akhter (37) and her daughter Ayesha Siddika (10) — residents of Doyalia village in Chandpur district. Monjura’s husband, Abdullah Al Mamun, an official of the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), was traveling with his family to Tanguar Haor for a trip.
According to Jaykalash Highway Police and eyewitnesses, the Sejuti Travels bus was carrying 41 family members of 11 senior BCIC officials from Dhaka to Sunamganj for a family tour. As the bus reached the area near Bagharkona village, it reportedly lost control and overturned into a roadside ditch.
The mother and daughter were killed on the spot after being crushed under the bus, while 15 other passengers were injured.
Locals said the bus driver fled the scene immediately after the accident, abandoning the vehicle. The injured passengers were rescued by locals and taken to Shantiganj Upazila Health Complex, where they received primary treatment.
Local journalist Kuhinur Rahman Nahid, a resident of Bagharkona village, told the media, “We rushed to the spot after hearing a loud crash and found the tourist bus overturned in a ditch. Highway Police and Fire Service were informed right away. It seems the driver either dozed off or lost control while trying to overtake another vehicle on the narrow road.”
Victim’s husband Abdullah Al Mamun said, “Our journey from Dhaka to Sylhet was smooth. We even stopped at Temukhi point in Sunamganj-Sylhet highway for a 30-minute rest for the driver. But near the accident spot, the bus suddenly started swerving and fell into the roadside ditch. My wife and daughter were trapped under the bus and died instantly. We believe the driver must have fallen asleep, as there was no collision with any other vehicle. He fled right after the incident.”
Jaykalash Highway Police Officer-in-Charge (OC) Suman Kumar Chowdhury confirmed that two bodies and several injured passengers were recovered from beneath the overturned bus with the help of Fire Service personnel.
Shantiganj Fire Service In-Charge Montosh Mallik added, “We recovered two bodies trapped under the bus and handed them over to the Highway Police.”
