11-year-old girl killed in sleep as truck crashes into semi-pucca house

At least four people, including an 11-year-old girl, were killed and more than 100 others injured in separate road accidents across three districts on Friday. 

In Rangpur, Taslima Akter Simthi, a third-grade student of Nurani Talimul Quran Madrasa, was sleeping when a truck lost control and rammed into her semi-concrete house around 3am.

The incident, occurred at Khasbagh Char Matha intersection on Botla Road,  crushed the child dead and left her pregnant mother, Ayesha Begum, seriously injured. 

Ayesha was admitted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital and referred to the intensive care unit (ICU).

Kotwali Police Station Inspector (Investigation) Milon Bhattacharya said locals detained the driver, Mehedi Hasan, and helper, Shrabon Mia, before handing them over to police. The truck was also seized, he added.

In Gopalganj, Ilias Fakir, the member secretary of the BNP's Raghdi union unit, was killed as 10 vehicles collided near Baroitala Bus Stand on the Dhaka-Barishal Highway in Mukshudpur upazila around 10:30am Friday.

The collision involved four passenger buses, two private cars, two trucks and two engine-run easybikes.

According to police and locals, it began with a head-on collision between a private car and a passenger bus, triggering a chain collision involving the other vehicles.

Mukshudpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abdullah Al Mamun confirmed the incident, saying at least 100 passengers were injured. 

Of them, 20 to 25 seriously injured people were taken to hospitals in Faridpur and Bhanga, he said.

Gopalganj-1 MP Selimuzzaman Selim was travelling from Dhaka to his constituency when two vehicles in his convoy were involved in the accident. His car was damaged, but he escaped unhurt. The collision halted traffic for nearly an hour before normal movement resumed.

In Munshiganj, Rafi, 20, and Jannatul Mawa Jyoti, 19, were killed after an unidentified vehicle hit their motorcycle on the Dhaka-Mawa Expressway around 3:04am Friday.

Both were residents of West Shewrapara in Mirpur, Dhaka. The accident occurred in the Mawa-bound lane at Samaspur in Srinagar upazila.

Muhammad Shafiqul Islam, deputy assistant director of Munshiganj Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the two riders were thrown off their motorcycle and died at the scene. Two rescue units recovered their bodies and handed them over to Hasara Highway Police.