40km Traffic Jam on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway: Patient Dies in Ambulance

A severe traffic jam stretching nearly 40 kilometers on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway has left thousands stranded and contributed to the death of a patient in an ambulance, authorities confirmed Saturday. The congestion, which began Friday morning due to road repair work in Sonargaon, remained unresolved as of early Saturday, causing significant delays and hardship for travelers.

The traffic jam spans from Sonargaon in Narayanganj to Elliotganj in Daudkandi, Cumilla, paralyzing one of Bangladesh’s busiest and most vital highways. The Dhaka-bound lane has been closed since around 8 a.m. Friday due to repair work at Ashariarchar in Sonargaon, leading to extreme delays and gridlock. As of 8 a.m. Saturday, the situation had not improved, leaving motorists and passengers in difficult conditions under intense summer heat.

Among the affected was Amirunnesa, a 55-year-old woman from Pranabhagabatipur village in Chandraganj upazila, Lakshmipur. She suffered a heart attack on Friday and was being transported to Dhaka in an ambulance. According to her relative Tarek Al Hasan, the ambulance reached Daudkandi around 11 p.m. Friday, but became stuck in traffic. She died around 3 a.m. Saturday after being delayed for four hours in the congestion.

Passengers from other journeys also reported severe delays. Several passengers of Mujahid Paribahan, traveling from Chattogram to Bagerhat in Khulna, said their bus left Chattogram in the evening and became stuck near Elliotganj in Daudkandi by 2:30 a.m. By 8 a.m. Saturday, they had only moved 10 kilometers, reaching Amirabad in Daudkandi.

Ripon Mia, a 55-year-old bus driver with Surma Paribahan operating on the Dhaka-Chattogram route, described the highway as one of the country’s most critical transport arteries. He emphasized the need for constant administrative supervision to prevent such disruptions. Mia also highlighted the suffering of vulnerable passengers—women, children, and the elderly—trapped in sweltering heat inside buses for hours.

Inspector Mohammad Shamim, in-charge of the Bhaberchar Highway Police Outpost in Gazaria, Munshiganj, confirmed that the congestion stemmed from the repair work that began at 8 a.m. Friday. He stated that highway police are actively managing the situation and trying to mitigate the hardships faced by drivers and passengers despite the extreme conditions.

Authorities have not provided a clear timeline for the resumption of normal traffic flow on the affected section.

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