Mother, child killed in Cumilla road crash

The woman died on the spot after being run over by a speeding passenger bus and the child succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a local hospital.

Police and witnesses said the accident occurred this morning when a Dhaka-bound bus ran over them in the Eliotganj area on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway here. 

The identities of the deceased had not been confirmed till filing of this report. However, locals claimed that the victims were mother and son.

According to locals, police said the woman was getting off a local bus named 'Papia Service', which had arrived from Cumilla, carrying her five-year-old child in her arms. At that moment, a bus belonging to Nilachal Paribahan, coming from behind with high speed, ran them over on the spot.

The woman died instantly at the scene. The critically injured child was rescued and taken to a local hospital. As the child's condition worsened, he was transferred to the Gauripur Health Complex in Daudkandi upazila, where the attending doctors declared him dead.

Meanwhile, the bus of the Nilachal Paribahan lost control over the steering and crashed into a mini covered van parked beside the road. A portion of the covered van was severely damaged in the impact.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Eliotganj Highway Police Station Ruhul Amin said the bus and the damaged covered van had been recovered and taken to the police station. 

"A fingerprint team of the forensic department is working to identify the deceased," the OC said, adding that the bodies were kept at the Eliotganj Highway Police Station and legal actions were underway.