Tragedy strikes Chittagong wedding party, 4 killed in highway crash.

Jahangir Alam, Staff Reporter. CHITTAGONG: A celebration turned into mourning late Saturday night when a head-on collision between a covered van and a microbus claimed four lives, including a child and a teenager, on the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar highway. ​At least eight others were injured in the crash, with several reported to be in critical condition. ​The incident occurred around 2:45 AM on Sunday in the Sikalbaha Chaumuhani area under Karnafuli Police Station. ​Three of the deceased have been identified as Md. Ferdous Alam (5), Mipta (17), and the microbus driver, Munna (40). The identity of the fourth victim, an unidentified man aged around 35, could not immediately be confirmed by the police. ​According to police and eyewitness accounts, the microbus was carrying guests back to Eidgaon in Cox’s Bazar after a wedding reception at a community center in the Agrabad area of Chittagong city. As the vehicle reached Sikalbaha Chaumuhani, it collided head-on with a speeding covered van taking a U-turn from the opposite direction. ​The impact crushed the front section of the microbus. ​Child Ferdous and teenager Mipta died on the spot. Upon receiving the news, local residents, Fire Service personnel, and Karnafuli police rushed to the scene to rescue the victims and transport them to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH). Driver Munna and another passenger succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment at the hospital. ​Confirming the incident, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Karnafuli Police Station, Nur Ahmad, stated, "Both the microbus and the covered van have been seized. However, the driver and assistant of the covered van fled the scene immediately after the accident. A police operation is underway to arrest them, and legal proceedings are in progress." ​The sudden tragedy has plunged the victims' families into deep grief, leaving tears and mourning across the CMCH premises.