Noakhali road crash leaves seven dead

Survivors say driver was half-asleep during incident

FE Team | Published: August 07, 2025 00:34:01

At least seven people were killed and four others were injured when a speeding microbus, carrying family members of an expatriate, plunged into a roadside canal in Begumganj upazila of Noakhali district early Wednesday, according to the Fire Service, report agencies.
The deceased include Oman expatriate Bahar's mother, Morshida Begum, 55, his wife Kabita, 24, daughter Mim Akter, 2, grandmother (maternal) Faizunnessa, 40, sister-in-law (elder brother's wife) Laboni Akter, 30, and nieces (Laboni's daughters) Lamia, 9 and Reshmi, 8.
Relatives who survived the microbus accident have blamed the driver's negligence for the deaths of their loved ones.
Despite repeated requests, the driver, Russell, continued to drive while drowsy and refused to take a break, according to the survivors.
The victims were residents of Chopalli village under Hajjirpara in Lakshmipur district, said Farid Uddin, assistant director of Noakhali Fire Service.
Three of the injured were identified as expatriate Bahar, his father Sagir Ali, and the microbus driver.
Talha Bin Zashim, officer (media) at Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) headquarters, said the accident occurred around 5:40 am when the microbus lost control on Noakhali-Lakshmipur regional road in Jagadishpur area and fell into Wapda canal in Chandraganj Dakshin Bazar of the upazila.
The accident left seven people dead on the spot and four injured, he said.
Upon receiving the information, a firefighting unit from Chowmuhuni Fire Station rushed to the scene around 6:05 am and carried out a rescue operation, said the FSCD official.
Later, another unit from Majidee Bazar joined the rescue operation and sent the casualties to the hospitals, said Fire Service official Farid.
Quoting relatives, he said injured Bahar returned home from Oman on Tuesday night while his family members went to Dhaka to receive him and were returning in the microbus.
"All the victims were from the same family," he said.
On Tuesday night, 11 family members went to Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in a microbus to bring Bahar home. With Bahar onboard, 12 people set off for Lakshmipur. Just 10 km from home, the driver lost control of the vehicle and plunged into a roadside canal along the Lakshmipur-Dhaka regional highway in the Purba Bazar area early on Wednesday morning.
Bahar Uddin said the driver was visibly sleepy while driving.
"We asked him several times to stop and rest, but he refused," he said.
He added that they narrowly avoided an accident earlier near Comilla.
Eventually, the drowsy driver lost control, causing the vehicle to fall into the canal.
Abdur Rahim, Bahar's father, said: "Even after the vehicle fell into the canal, it didn't sink immediately. It went down slowly. We asked the driver to unlock the doors, but he didn't."
"Instead, he rolled down the window, got out, and fled without trying to save anyone."