Bus-auto rickshaw collision kills 3 in Cumilla

Three people were killed and two others injured in a head-on collision between a passenger bus and an auto-rickshaw in Cumilla's Sadar South upazila this evening.

The accident took place around 7:15pm in the Ratanpur Cold Storage area on the Cumilla-Noakhali regional highway, according to police.

The injured have been admitted to Cumilla Medical College Hospital. The identities of the deceased could not be immediately confirmed, but police suspect they were day labourers.

Laksam Crossing Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Osman Gani said an auto-rickshaw carrying day labourers was travelling on the wrong side of the road towards Ratanpur Bazar when it collided head-on with a Shah Ali Super Paribahan bus coming from the opposite direction.

He said three people, including the auto-rickshaw driver, died on the spot, while two others sustained serious injuries.

Highway police rushed to the scene, recovered the bodies and sent them to hospital for autopsy. The damaged bus and auto-rickshaw were seized.

Police said efforts are underway to identify the victims. Preliminary information suggests they were day labourers heading towards Ratanpur Bazar in search of work, reports BSS.

An investigation is underway to determine the cause and responsibility for the accident, police added.