Four members of a family tragically lost their lives, and several others sustained injuries following a collision between a bus and an auto-rickshaw in Dinajpur’s Sadar upazila earlier today. The deceased individuals have been identified as Marjina Begum, aged 50, hailing from Khanpur Koitur village in Sadar upazila; her daughter-in-law Tanjima Begum, aged 35; and her granddaughters Sadia, aged 12, and Sammi, aged 7, who are the children of Abdus Salam and Marjina’s daughter Yasmin Begum from Chirirbandar upazila.
The tragic incident occurred at approximately 2:00 pm in front of the Dinajpur Wheat and Maize Research Institute when a bus traveling towards Dinajpur from Panchagarh collided head-on with the auto-rickshaw on the Dinajpur-Dashmile road in Nashipur village, according to Md Nuruzzaman, the Officer-in-Charge of Kotwali Police Station in Dinajpur.
Three individuals lost their lives immediately, and five others sustained injuries in the collision. The bodies were retrieved by firefighters at the scene, and the injured were taken to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital with the assistance of the police, where one more victim succumbed to injuries.
The children, who were visiting their grandparents’ residence, were on their way to Kantajew Temple in Kantanagar for the Rash Mela, as stated by Mokbul Hossain, aged 79, Marjina’s father-in-law, who sustained minor injuries in the accident. Expressing his helplessness, Mokbul recounted the sudden impact of the bus on their auto-rickshaw, leaving him distraught.
The authorities were alerted at 2:22 pm, and emergency responders, including the Dinajpur Fire Service and Civil Defence, promptly arrived at the scene. Regrettably, Marjina, Sadia, and Sammi passed away immediately, while Tanjima succumbed to her injuries at the hospital. The remaining four injured individuals, including the auto-rickshaw driver Rubel, aged 25, are currently receiving treatment at the hospital for severe injuries.
Sub-Inspector Rejaul Karim of Dashmile Highway Police Station confirmed the seizure of the bus involved in the accident, although the driver and helper managed to escape. Efforts are underway to initiate legal proceedings under the Road Transport Act in connection with the incident, according to the Sub-Inspector.