Dream trip turns deadly: 12 killed, including 10 from one family

A joyful family journey turned into an unimaginable tragedy on Thursday afternoon when a devastating head-on collision between a bus and a microbus killed twelve people, including ten members of the same family, on the Khulna-Mongla highway in Bagerhat.

The accident occurred around 4:30 pm at Gonai Bridge in Rampal upazila, when a bus belonging to the Bangladesh Navy crashed directly into a microbus coming from the opposite direction, leaving the small vehicle mangled and its passengers lifeless at the scene.

Police said two children were among those killed, making the tragedy even more heartbreaking.

Sub-Inspector Md Hasan of the Katakhali Highway Police camp said the collision was so severe that 12 people died instantly at the spot.

“The bus and the microbus collided head-on near Gonai Bridge. Twelve people, including two children, died on the spot,” he said.

The identities of the victims could not be confirmed immediately, but police and hospital sources said ten of the deceased belonged to the same family, raising fears that an entire household may have been wiped out in a single moment.

The aftermath of the crash left a scene of grief and chaos on the highway, as stunned locals and rescuers rushed to the wreckage. Several others injured in the accident were taken to nearby hospitals.

Rampal Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Sukanta Kumar Pal said some victims were brought to the health complex but were already dead.

“Four people, including a child, were brought here, but they had died before reaching the hospital,” he said.

Hospital authorities said eight bodies were kept at Khulna Medical College Hospital, while the remaining bodies were taken to Bagerhat.

The tragic crash has sent shockwaves through the area, with residents gathering near the accident site in disbelief as police begin an investigation into the cause of the collision.

The devastating loss of ten members of a single family in one accident has cast a deep shadow of grief over the region.

 With inputs from UNB