In Tangail, four people were killed when a Pabna-bound jeep from Dhaka collided head-on with a Dhaka-bound bus in Bil Gharinda area near Jamuna Bridge at about 9:30am.

The dead are Abdul Latif, 30, Shilpi, 23, and Kona, 22 -- son, daughter-in-law and daughter of Abdul Kader, executive director of Samata, a non-governmental organisation -- and driver of the jeep Faruque Hossain, 35.

Kader, the only survivor of the fatal accident, was admitted to Tangail General Hospital and later shifted to Dhaka Combined Military Hospital (CMH).

"He [Kader] is fighting for life at the CMH," said an employee of Samata last night.

Police said Kader and his family members were going to his village in Santhia upazila in Pabna district in the luxurious jeep. Latif, Shilpi and Kona died on the spot while driver Faruque succumbed to his injuries on way to hospital.

Being informed, local people and fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot and immediately started rescue operation. Fifteen bus passengers were injured, four of them critically, in the same accident, reports our Tangail correspondent.

The jeep was totally wrecked in the accident.

3 KILLED IN COMILLA
In Comilla, three members of the family of Mashuk Ahmed, a chartered accountant, died on the spot when a Dhaka-bound truck rammed into a Comilla-bound private car.

The accident occurred at about 4:00pm near Bhaber Char on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway, killing Fatema Begum Eti, 32, wife of Mashuk Ahmed, and their two sons --Hamim, 5, and Hamza, 2, police and witnesses said.

Mashuk Ahmed and his daughter Mayesha Ahmed, travelling in the same car, were injured and admitted to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), reports our correspondent from Comilla.

The bodies were sent to DMCH for autopsy.

2 KILLED IN HABIGANJ
In Habiganj, two drivers were killed and 25 bus passengers injured when a night coach and a truck collided head-on on the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway early yesterday.

The dead are truck driver Sagar Miah, 25, of Bhaluka in Mymensingh, and coach driver Abdul Mannan, 35, of Jafarganj in Burichang upazila of Comilla.

Police said the two drivers died on the spot when the Sylhet-bound coach from Comilla collided with the truck near Belaghar village in Madhabpur upazila at about 2:00am.

The injured were admitted to different local hospitals, reports our Habiganj correspondent.

PATUAKHALI
Bus communications were disrupted for four hours on 20 routes to and from Patuakhali after a road accident that prompted vandalising of buses and attacks on transport workers yesterday, reports our Patuakhali correspondent.

A Patuakhali bound bus from Baufal rammed into a rickshaw in front of Baufal Fire Service at 12 noon, leaving two rickshaw passengers seriously injured.

Following the accident a group of agitated locals led by Jubo Dal leader Gias Uddin vandalised the bus and handed bus driver Swapan Das and helper Masud over to police after beating them up mercilessly.

As soon as the news spread to the Patuakhali Bus Terminal, the transport workers suspended movement of all buses on the 20 routes.

Later, bus communications resumed in the afternoon, excepting on Baufal-Dashmina route, following a negotiation between Patuakhali police super, Bus Malik Samity and leaders of the workers' union.