At least nine people were killed and several others injured after two passenger buses collided head-on on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Kashikapon, Osmaninagar upazila of Sylhet. The crash occurred at about 7am on Friday between a Unique Paribahan bus travelling from Sylhet to Dhaka and a Bengal sleeper coach travelling from Dhaka to Sylhet. Several injured passengers were reported to be in critical condition.

Among those killed at the scene were Unique Paribahan passenger Saiful Islam, 50, from Goborina Lakshmipur village in Kuliarchar, Kishoreganj, and Safi Mia of Kuliarchar. Jaifa Islam, 3, daughter of Jahangir Sheikh of Dhaka’s Bikrampur, and Saptam Ray Pritom, 22, son of Uttam Ray from Sobhanighat in Sylhet city, were declared dead after being taken to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital.

Fire service personnel, police and highway police conducted rescue operations and sent injured people to hospitals. The bodies were handed over to Sherpur Highway Police custody. Police said traffic on the highway was later restored, both buses were seized, and the cause of the accident is under investigation.