Father and six-year-old daughter killed as pickup runs over auto-van in Muksudpur
A father and his six-year-old daughter riding in an auto-van have been killed after being run over by a fish-carrying pickup in Muksudpur, Gopalganj. The tragic accident happened on Sunday morning (25 October) on the Garakhola Bridge on the Dhaka-Khulna highway.
The deceased man is Saiful Islam Ranju (45), son of Hemayet Molla of Paban Beg village in Alfadanga upazila of Faridpur. The child who died is Samira Akter (6). The deaths of father and daughter together have cast a pall of grief over the family and the area.
Police and local sources said a fish-carrying pickup was heading towards Gopalganj on Sunday morning. At that time, the pickup ran over an auto-van coming from the opposite direction towards Muksudpur and drove away.
In the collision on the bridge, the father and daughter in the auto-van were seriously injured. The accident once again shows how vulnerable light vehicles like auto-vans are when they collide with heavy vehicles on highways.
After the accident, local people rushed in and rescued the seriously injured father and daughter. They were taken to the Muksudpur Upazila Health Complex.
However, doctors declared both of them dead after they were brought to the hospital. Despite all efforts, neither Saiful Islam Ranju nor the child Samira Akter could be saved.
Muksudpur police station's officer-in-charge Abdullah Al Mamun confirmed the deaths of the father and daughter. He said the bodies will be handed over to the family after legal procedures are completed.
Police did not immediately provide details about the whereabouts of the pickup or its driver after it fled the scene. Those matters will become clear through the subsequent legal process and investigation.
The Dhaka-Khulna highway is a busy route for the south-western region. With slow vehicles such as auto-vans and fast-moving goods vehicles sharing such highways, the risk of accidents is ever-present.
An accident on a bridge carries added risk, because there is limited room to swerve. This accident, too, happened on the Garakhola Bridge, where the auto-van had little chance to avoid the pickup.
That neither victim could be saved despite the locals' rescue efforts and a quick transfer to hospital points to the severity of their injuries. For the family, the loss is irreparable.
Once the bodies are handed over after legal procedures, the relatives will prepare for the final farewell. Police proceedings over responsibility for the accident and the pickup driver's role will also move forward, it has been learned.
