Dense fog causes bus pile-up on Rangpur highway; 7 injured

Poor visibility due to dense fog led to a pile-up involving four passenger buses on Dhaka–Rangpur Highway early today, leaving seven passengers injured.

The incident occurred around 5:30am in Jaygir village in Mithapukur upazila's China Company area of the highway.

According to Borodorga Highway Police, the dense fog caused drivers to lose control due to poor visibility, resulting in a chain of back-to-back hits among the buses.

The affected buses included RBS Travels, Rani Paribahan, Apu Paribahan, and another unidentified vehicle. The hits damaged the front sections of the buses, shattering windshields and causing other minor structural damage.

Borodorga Highway Police Inspector Md Moniruzzaman confirmed that the injured passengers received first aid treatment, and recovery operations to remove the buses from the highway were completed to restore traffic movement on the busy highway.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the road became slippery due to sand and soil spilled from heavy trucks frequently passing through the area. This, combined with the poor visibility caused by the fog, likely contributed to the drivers losing control, the inspector said.

A microbus overtaking the pile-up site also crashed into one of the buses, he added.

Inspector Moniruzzaman asked drivers to use headlights and drive cautiously in foggy conditions to avoid such accidents.

Superintendent of Rangpur Highway Police Md Tariqul Islam said the risks of road accidents during the winter season are high due to poor visibility caused by heavy fog.

Tariqul Islam urged all drivers to follow traffic regulations and maintain controlled speeds to reduce accident risks, especially during the foggy winter months.