GOPALGANJ:
A BNP leader was killed and more than 100 people were injured in a chain-reaction collision involving 10 vehicles at the Boirtola Bus Stand area in Muksudpur upazila of Gopalganj on Friday morning.
Two vehicles from the motorcade of Selimuzzaman Selim, lawmaker from Gopalganj-1, were among those damaged in the accident. The MP's own vehicle also sustained minor damage, but he escaped unhurt.
The deceased was Ilias Fakir, member secretary of the BNP's Raghdi Union unit. He was critically injured in the crash and rushed to Dhaka for treatment, where he died while undergoing treatment around noon.
The accident occurred around 10:30am on the Dhaka-Barishal highway, when a private car collided head-on with a passenger bus. The initial collision triggered a series of crashes involving buses, trucks, private cars and motorised three-wheelers.
Four passenger buses, two private cars, two trucks and two motorised three-wheelers were involved in the pile-up, leaving more than 100 passengers injured.
Following the accident, traffic on the highway remained suspended for nearly an hour, causing significant disruption.
Officer-in-Charge of Muksudpur Police Station Abdullah Al Mamun confirmed the incident, saying that 20 to 25 critically injured people were rescued and taken to hospitals in Faridpur and Bhanga.
He added that traffic movement on the highway had subsequently returned to normal.
Meanwhile, MP Selimuzzaman Selim was travelling from Dhaka to his constituency when the accident occurred as his motorcade was entering Muksudpur. Two vehicles in his convoy were damaged in the collision.
The lawmaker expressed deep sorrow over the death of BNP leader Ilias Fakir and conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.