8 injured in microbus-pickup van collision

Eight people were injured as a pickup van and a microbus collided head-on on the Father of Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Highway (expressway) at Bhanga of Faridpur.

There were three people including a child of the same family among the injured. The accident took place on the flyover of the expressway at Maligram area of Chandra union of the upazila at around 7:30am on Thursday.

The injured are: Md Belal Hossain, 25, of Barishal's Muladi upazila, his wife Liza Akhtar 20, their son Ashraful, 3, Abdullah, 30, of the same locality, Pia Akhtar, 15, and Akram Hossain, 18, of the same upazila, Md Sakib, 21, a resident of Jatrabari area of Dhaka and Ridhoy, 25, from Kazipara of Jashore.

Shibchar highway police said eight people including a microbus driver were heading to Barishal from Jashore. When the microbus reached the Bhanga intersection area at around 7:00am, it was raining. At the time the driver mistakenly took the expressway and proceeded seven kilometers towards Dhaka instead of taking the Dhaka-Barishal highway.

When the driver realised the mistake, he started turned and drove on the wrong side of the road towards Bhanga. A Dhaka-bound pickup van and the microbus then collided head-on, injuring eight people including the driver.

Police said Bhanga fire service members with the assistance of Shibchar highway police rescued the injured people and took them to Bhanga upazila health complex. They were sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital from there.

Shibchar highway police sub inspector Abdullahel Baki said the traffic movement was suspended for 20 minutes due to the accident. Nobody has been detained in connection with the incident, he added.