50km tailback on Dhaka-Ctg Highway

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COMILLA, Aug 16 (bdnews24.com): A large tailback has gripped the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway following a traffic mishap that occurred in the morning, causing sufferings to the home-going people.
The congestion Thursday stretched more than 50 kilometres from Chandina Upazila's Arikhola in Comilla up to Bhaberchar in Mushiganj's Gojaria Upazila. The long line of vehicles is moving in small bursts.
Traffic was halted for more than one and half an hours after a Chittagong-bound truck and a covered-van collided head-on near Jinglatoli village around 7:30am, Sub Inspector Mehedi Hasan of the Highway Police Station in Daudkandi told bdnews24.com.
The truck driver and his assistant were rescued from the vehicle and taken to Gouripur Hospital.
Later, the driver, 40-year old Liton Mia, son of Kazi Momin Ullah of Gopalpur village in Noakhali's Begumganj Upazila, died there.
Traffic was halted until 9am when the two wrecks were towed off the road, the police official added.
A similar tailback occurred on the highway on Wednesday also due to excess traffic in view of the Eid vacation.
Excess traffic is also causing congestions in Comilla's Gouripur and Nimsar Bazaar areas.
Alongside the congestions and the accident, the fragile state of the Meghna-Gomoti bridges is also slowing down traffic movement.
Managing Director of the bridge's toll collection organisation, Engineer Mahbub Kabir, told bdnews24.com: "Around a 100 vehicles could cross the two bridges, normally.
But considering the risky state of the bridge, only 50 vehicles can now cross in that time."
"Personnel from the army's engineering core are controlling traffic on the bridges so that vehicles do not overtake each other."
UNB from Rajshahi adds: Rail communications between Rajshahi and other parts of the country that remained suspended for about 20 hours due to derailment of a train on Wednesday resumed Thursday afternoon.
Railway sources said four bogies of Dhaka-bound Padma Express train from Rajshahi skidded off the track near Sarda rail station in the district about 5:30 pm Wednesday.
Rajshahi West Zone Railway General Manager Ferdous Alam said a relief train reached the spot at night and removed the four bogies after 15 hours of frantic efforts about 2 pm.
Meanwhile, a four member committee, headed by Pakshi's Divisional Transport Officer Shajib Kumar, has been formed to probe the incident.
The probe body was asked to submit its report within three working days.