Authorities confiscate Hanif Paribahan bus involved in Cumilla crash, resulting in four fatalities due to wrong-side navigation

In a heartbreaking incident, a speeding cement-laden lorry overturned onto a private car at the Paduar Bazar U-turn on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Cumilla, resulting in a fatal accident on Friday. The crash claimed the lives of Mohammad Omar Ali (80), his wife Nurjahan Begum (65), and their two sons, Abul Hashem (50) and Abul Kashem (45). Three passengers in a nearby CNG-run autorickshaw were also injured.

On Friday, a Hanif Paribahan bus, travelling in the wrong direction, caused the accident at Paduar Bazar in Cumilla. The bus, belonging to the Dhaka Transport Corporation (DTC), was later impounded from a field in front of the Manama Hotel in Khadghar, Debidwar Upazila, on Sunday afternoon.

The Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Cumilla Moynamoti Highway Police Station, Iqbal Bahar Majumder, provided information about the impounding of the bus. He stated that the bus was identified after reviewing CCTV footage and was impounded following a tip-off. The operation to apprehend the driver and helper of the bus continues, as they were not found at the time of the bus's seizure.

The Paduar Bazar U-turn has been temporarily closed following the accident, and Cumilla Sub-Divisional Engineer Adnan Bin Hasan confirmed that all vehicles must now use the Doyapur U-turn until further notice. Police believe the driver and helper of the bus went into hiding after abandoning the bus.

Abul Kalam, the brother of the deceased Omar Ali, filed a case against the drivers of the bus and the lorry at Cumilla Sadar South Police Station. The investigation is ongoing to bring the perpetrators to justice. The victims were all from Hossainpur village in Barura Upazila.

Our thoughts are with the families of the victims during this difficult time. The accident serves as a grim reminder of the importance of road safety and the need for strict enforcement of traffic rules.