Deadly Crash on Dhaka-Aricha Highway: Passenger Bus Ploughs Into Three-Wheeler, Two Killed on Impact

Manikganj, Bangladesh— A high-speed passenger bus ploughed into a three-wheeler on the Dhaka-Aricha highway, killing 2 passengers on impact on October 24, 2026, on a stretch notorious for fatal overtaking.

The crash happened around 11:20 a.m. near the Nayabari area, about 35 kilometers west of Dhaka. Police said the three-wheeler, locally called a Mahindra, was carrying four passengers to a local market when a Dhaka-bound bus from Aricha tried to overtake a truck and struck it head-on. The three-wheeler was dragged about 15 meters and split in two.

Two male passengers, aged 45 and 52, died on the spot. The driver and two other passengers were taken to Manikganj District Hospital with broken legs and head injuries. The bus driver fled the scene, leaving the bus 200 meters ahead with a shattered windshield. Passengers on the bus said he was talking on a mobile phone and driving fast.

"The bus came on the wrong side. We shouted, but the driver did not slow," a survivor from the three-wheeler said, lying on a hospital stretcher with blood on his shirt. "My cousin was sitting in front. He died in front of me." Highway Police said the three-wheeler should not have been on the highway at all, as such vehicles are banned on this route but enforcement is lax.

The Dhaka-Aricha highway carries thousands of buses, trucks and small three-wheelers daily, often without lane separation. Residents said the Nayabari bend has no divider and poor signage, and accidents happen weekly. A local shopkeeper said he heard the crash and ran out to find bodies on the asphalt. "We put a cloth over them. Traffic did not stop. Buses kept passing fast," he said.

Police seized both vehicles and filed a case for reckless driving and causing death by negligence. The Highway Police superintendent said patrols had been increased before a national holiday, but manpower is short. "We have 12 officers for 70 kilometers. We cannot be everywhere," the superintendent said. "Three-wheelers use the highway because village roads are broken."

Bangladesh records more than 5,000 road deaths a year, according to official data, though independent groups put the figure higher. Buses often operate with bald tires, faulty brakes and drivers working 16-hour shifts. Speed governors are required by law but rarely installed.

Relatives of the dead gathered at the hospital morgue by noon, waiting for release papers. One son said his father was going to sell vegetables at the market to buy medicine for his mother. "He left at 10 a.m. He never reached," he said.

Traffic was diverted for an hour while a crane cleared the wreckage. By 2 p.m., buses were again overtaking at full speed on the same stretch, with three-wheelers weaving between them.

Officers were still searching for the bus driver as darkness fell, checking bus stands in Aricha and Paturia.