Sylhet: The district administration has formed a five-member committee to investigate Friday’s head-on collision between two buses on the Sylhet-Dhaka highway in Osmaninagar that left nine people dead. Additional District Magistrate Pinki Saha has been made head of the committee, the Sylhet district administration confirmed on Saturday.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the committee has been tasked with identifying the actual cause of the accident and submitting a detailed report within five working days. The committee includes representatives from the Highway Police, Fire Service and Civil Defence, Roads and Highways Department, and the Osmaninagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer’s (UNO) office.
Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Al Mamun reported that the accident involved buses from Unique and Bengal Paribahan in the Kashikapur area of Osmaninagar upazila on Friday morning. Out of the nine fatalities, seven people died on the spot, while two others, including a child, succumbed to their injuries in the hospital. Sixteen people sustained injuries and are currently receiving medical treatment.
Immediately following the incident, the deputy commissioner and other senior officials visited Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital to check on the injured. The district administration provided Tk 10,000 as immediate assistance to each injured person and Tk 20,000 to each family of the deceased to cover burial expenses. An additional Tk 15,000 was given to an ICU patient.
The deputy commissioner shared that the highway was relatively empty when the accident occurred. Although initial suspicions pointed to reckless driving or driver fatigue as potential causes, the actual cause will be determined after the investigation report is completed.
Expatriates’ Welfare and Foreign Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury visited the hospital to meet with the injured on Saturday morning. He announced financial aid for the victims, with Tk 5 lakh allocated to each family of the deceased, Tk 3 lakh to each person who became disabled, and Tk 1 lakh to each injured person.
In addition, the registration of the two buses involved in the crash has been revoked, as confirmed by Engineer Abdur Rashid, assistant director of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) in Sylhet. The drivers and owners of the buses have been summoned to appear before the BRTA within five days to provide explanations. “For now, the registration of the two buses involved in the accident has been cancelled. An explanation has also been sought from the drivers and owners. Further action will be taken after receiving their explanations,” he stated.