Pickup van-CNG collision kills 3 in Sunamganj

Three people, including a schoolgirl, were killed in a head-on collision between a pickup van and a CNG-run auto-rickshaw in the Shantiganj upazila of Sunamganj on Friday morning.

The accident occurred around Pagla Bazar on the Sunamganj-Sylhet highway, causing severe disruption to traffic for some time.

The deceased were identified as Sajal Ghosh, 40, the CNG driver from Jolsukha village in Azmiriganj upazila of Habiganj district; Ankhi Rani Chowdhury, 36, from Nabipur village in Baniachong upazila; and her daughter Prothoma Chowdhury, a seventh-grade student at Satish Chandra Girls' High School in Sunamganj town. The mother and daughter were residents of the Ukilpara area of the town.

According to local sources, the pickup van was speeding when it collided head-on with the auto-rickshaw coming from the opposite direction. The impact left the CNG vehicle mangled and killed all three occupants on the spot.

Following the incident, locals detained the pickup driver and handed him over to the police. The driver was identified as Parvez Ahmed, 35, son of the late Jalal Uddin from Bhatipara village in Dirai upazila of Sunamganj.

Confirming the incident, Shantiganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abdul Ahad said police rushed to the scene upon receiving the report. "The bodies have been sent to the local hospital morgue for autopsy. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the accident," he added.