Eight people were injured as a pickup van and a microbus collided face-to-face on the Father of Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Highway (expressway) at Bhanga of Faridpur.
There were three people including a child of the same family among the injured. The accident took place on the flyover of the expressway at the Maligram area of Chandra Union of the Upazila at around 7:30 am on Thursday.
The injured are, Md Belal Hossain, aged 25, of Barishal's Muladi upazila, his wife Liza Akhtar, aged 20, their son Ashraful, aged 3, Abdullah, aged 30, of the same locality, Pia Akhtar, aged 15, and Akram Hossain, aged 18, of the same upazila, Md Sakib, aged 21, a resident of Jatrabari area of Dhaka and Ridhoy, aged 25, from Kazipara of Jashore.
Shibchar highway police said eight people including a microbus driver were heading to Barishal from Jashore. When the microbus reached the Bhanga intersection area at around 7:00 am, it was raining. At the time the driver mistakenly took the expressway and proceeded seven kilometres towards Dhaka instead of taking the Dhaka-Barishal highway.
When the driver realised the mistake, he started to turn and drove on the wrong side of the road towards the Bhanga. A Dhaka-bound pickup van and the microbus then collided face-to-face, which resulted in the injury of eight people including the driver.
Police said Bhanga fire service members with the assistance of Shibchar highway police rescued the injured people and took them to the Bhanga Upazila health complex. They were sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital from there.
Shibchar Highway police sub-inspector, who is Abdullahel Baki said, traffic movement was suspended for 20 minutes due to the accident. Nobody has been detained in connection with the incident, he added.