At least 14 people were killed and around 30 others injured when a passenger bus collided head-on with a sand-laden truck in Natore early on Tuesday, with police revising an initial death toll of 14 after discrepancies in information from rescue teams.
The accident occurred at around 4:15am on the Natore-Pabna highway near the Bonpara Police Investigation Centre in Baraigram upazila, when an RP Special Paribahan bus travelling towards Rajshahi collided with a truck coming from
the opposite direction, according to police and fire service officials.
The bus was travelling from the Barishal region towards Rajshahi, with some reports identifying its route as Kuakata in Patuakhali to Chapainawabganj. The truck was carrying sand.
Nine people died at the scene, while others succumbed to their injuries after being taken to hospitals, according to initial reports.
The injured were taken to local clinics, Natore General Hospital and Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for treatment. Several were reported to be in critical condition.
Natore Superintendent of Police Mohammad Shariful Haque confirmed that 12 people had died, explaining that the earlier figure of 14 resulted from confusion and a lack of coordination between the police and fire service during the initial rescue operation.
The deceased included the drivers of both vehicles, an eight-year-old girl and several passengers from different districts. Five traders from Jajira upazila in Shariatpur were among those killed.
The identities of the nine deceased have been revealed. They are the driver of the truck, Abul Kalam Azad (32) of Godagari upazila of Rajshahi, the bus supervisor Sohel Rana (36) of Godagari upazila of Rajshahi, Sohag Hossain (30) of Kazirhat village of Jajira upazila of Shariatpur, Jewel Rana (40) of Barakandi village, Jahan Uddin Molla (45) of Dubisaheber village, Shahin Hossain (25) of Kazirhat village, Anwar Haque (30) of Konopara village of Bagmara upazila of Rajshahi, Shahidul Islam (40) of Subidkhali village of Mirzaganj upazila of Patuakhali and his daughter Tashfia Khatun (8).
Among the injured, Rubina Akhter, wife of deceased Shahidul Islam, is admitted to Banpara Patwari Hospital. Ramzan Ali (28) of Chapainawabganj, Yakub Ali (34) of Dinajpur, and Abdus Salam (22) of Chandpur are also receiving treatment here. Apart from this, the injured were taken to Natore Sadar Hospital. Among them, 7-8 seriously injured people have been sent to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.
They had been travelling to Rajshahi to purchase agricultural produce and seeds for their businesses ahead of the Rabi season. Two other traders from the same group survived but were injured.
Police said the dead included passengers from Shariatpur, Rajshahi, Naogaon, Faridpur and Patuakhali, as well as the truck driver from Jhenaidah.
A survivor alleged that the bus driver had been falling asleep while driving and that the vehicle veered across the road before hitting the truck.
Another passenger claimed that some people took passengers’ mobile phones, wallets and cash while victims remained trapped inside the wreckage. He also acknowledged that local people helped rescue passengers.
Police said they had recovered cash and other belongings following the incident and were returning the recovered items to the victims or their families.
The allegations about the cause of the collision and the reported thefts require further investigation.
Highway police and fire service personnel rushed to the scene after receiving information about the collision.
Rescue workers faced difficulties extracting passengers from the badly damaged bus, and local residents helped them evacuate the injured.
Police initially suspected that the bus might have been attempting to overtake another vehicle before its driver lost control and collided with the truck. Authorities have yet to establish the precise cause of the crash.
A seven-member investigation committee has been formed, headed by Natore Additional District Magistrate Abul Hayat, to investigate the accident.
National Parliament Whip and Natore-2 MP M Ruhul Quddus Talukdar Dulu announced that the families of the deceased would receive financial assistance of Tk 100,000 each.
The deaths have renewed concerns over road safety in Bangladesh, where road crashes continue to claim thousands of lives annually.
According to the Road Safety Foundation, 7,359 people were killed and 16,476 injured in 7,584 road accidents across the country in 2025.