Krishnanagar, Jan. 8: Three persons, including a six-year-old child, were killed and at least six others sustained injuries when a Mayapur-bound bus collided with the rear of a Krishnanagar-bound bus on the outskirts of the town on Wednesday afternoon. The accident occurred around 4:15 pm near the Bahadurpur forest area under the jurisdiction of Dhubulia police station, a stretch of National Highway 12 currently under heavy repair.
According to the police, traffic on the Berhampore-bound carriageway had been diverted to the Kolkata-bound lane due to ongoing maintenance, forcing vehicles moving in both directions to negotiate a narrow, shared passage. Preliminary reports suggest that the driver of the Berhampore-bound bus was speeding despite the hazardous, smog-shrouded road conditions, eventually losing control and crashing into the Krishnanagar-bound vehicle, which was arriving from Palashipara.
Local residents and police personnel rushed to the scene to extricate passengers from the mangled wreckage. The victims were hurried to the Nadia District Hospital, where three were declared brought dead. The deceased have been identified as 26-year-old Razina Khatun and young Rashid Sheikh, aged 6; the identity of the third victim, an adult male, remained unknown as of late Wednesday night.
“Unabated high speed on a converted common lane amid a smoggy afternoon led to the accident, which could have been easily averted,” remarked a senior officer of the Krishnanagar police district. The collision triggered a massive traffic gridlock on NH-12 for over an hour, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded. Both buses have been seized as the Dhubulia police initiate a formal investigation into the lapse in safety protocols and reckless driving.