Sylhet Correspondent; Dbarta24 — The tragic aftermath of a devastating road crash on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway continues to unfold, with the death toll rising to nine following the head-on collision between two passenger buses in the Osmaninagar upazila.
The latest fatality was recorded around 11:00 AM at the Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital, where 25-year-old Saptam Roy Pritam, a shop employee from the city’s Mahajanpatri area and a resident of Sobhanighat, succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment.
The accident, which occurred on Friday morning, involved a Dhaka-bound Unique Paribahan bus from Sylhet colliding head-on with a Sylhet-bound Bengal Paribahan bus. The catastrophic impact resulted in seven fatalities instantly at the scene.
An eighth victim, a young child named Jaifa—daughter of Jahangir Alam from South Surma, Sylhet—passed away while being transported to the hospital.
Authorities have confirmed the identities of four victims so far:
-
Saptam Roy Pritam (25) of Sobhanighat, Sylhet
-
Haji Saiful Islam of Lakshmipur village, Kuliarchar upazila, Kishoreganj
-
Jaifa, daughter of Jahangir Alam from Chandipur, South Surma, Sylhet
-
Paheli Bhairabi (17), daughter of Babul Mia from Chandiber, Bhairab police station, Kishoreganj
Current Medical Status of the Injured
According to hospital data, 13 injured passengers are currently receiving medical treatment at the Osmani Medical College Hospital. Medical professionals have reported that the condition of two individuals remains critical.
Among the critically injured is Atikul Islam Ferdous, an accountant for the Sylhet Power Development Board.
Other hospitalized survivors include Babul Mia (Kishoreganj), Monsur Ali (Madhabdi), Mofiz Mia (Brahmanbaria), Montu Chandra Pal (Sylhet), Faruk Mia (Kishoreganj), Nurunnahar (Sunamganj), Imran Ahmad (Comilla), Raju Das and Sajid Nur (Brahmanbaria), alongside Mukhtar Hossain, Afzal, and Afroza.
Road accidents on major regional corridors like the Dhaka-Sylhet highway remain a critical safety concern in Bangladesh, often attributed to reckless driving, high speeds, and poor visibility during early morning hours.
Local authorities and law enforcement agencies are continuing their investigation into the exact circumstances that led to this deadly collision between the two competing transit operators.
As families mourn the loss of their loved ones, medical teams at Osmani Medical College Hospital are working tirelessly to save the remaining survivors.
The escalating death toll underscores an urgent need for heightened traffic enforcement and stringent safety regulations along the country’s major national highways to prevent further loss of life.