Munshiganj Correspondent:

At least four persons were killed and another was injured in a road accident involving a passenger bus and a private car in Gazaria of Munshiganj on Saturday afternoon.

The accident occurred around 2:38pm in the Jamaldi bus stand area on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway, according to the Fire Service and Civil Defence officials.

The deceased were identified as Mujibur Rahman, 55, Mosa Shamima Akter, 45, Sabiha Chowdhury, 43, and Sohel, the driver of the private car.

According to Fire Service officials, the passenger bus, named New Baleshwar, was travelling towards Chattogram when it collided with the private car. The car had reportedly left Miami Restaurant after its occupants finished their meal and was heading towards Dhaka. There were five people in the private car, including the driver.

Local sources however, said, the accident occurred when the private car was taking a U-turn on the highway in the afternoon. A bus travelling from Dhaka towards Cumilla allegedly hit the car at high speed. The impact left the private car badly mangled, while the bus also lost control and overturned on the highway.

The driver of the private car died on the spot.

Fire Service personnel rushed to the scene after receiving information about the accident and rescued the injured passengers. They were taken to a local hospital, where doctors declared three more people dead.

The remaining injured person was in critical condition and was referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment.

The Gazaria Fire Station received information about the accident at 2:38pm on Saturday. Two Fire Service rescue units were subsequently dispatched to the scene and began rescue operations.

Muhammad Shafiqul Islam, deputy assistant director of Munshiganj Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the private car driver had died at the scene.

Fire Service personnel recovered his body and handed it over to the highway police, he said.

The injured were subsequently rescued and taken to a local hospital, where the attending physicians declared three of them dead, Shafiqul Islam added.

The other injured person was sent to Dhaka in critical condition for better treatment.

Police and Fire Service personnel were working at the scene following the accident, which caused disruption on the busy Dhaka-Chattogram Highway.