Locals in Rangpur's Mithapukur block highway demanding overbridge after speeding truck kills elderly woman
During the protest, hundreds of vehicles were stranded, causing severe traffic congestion.
A 75-year-old woman was killed by a speeding truck on the Rangpur-Dhaka highway in Shothibari, Mithapukur, Rangpur, yesterday afternoon (27 February), prompting locals to block the road for nearly four hours demanding an overbridge to allow pedestrians to cross safely.
The deceased, Azuba Begum, was the wife of the late Nehal Uddin from Rasulpur village in Komudpur union of Pirgonj upazila.
Eyewitnesses said the accident occurred at around 3pm while she was crossing the road.
The location has been notorious for accidents, with four to five pedestrian deaths reported there in the past six months.
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Locals have repeatedly demanded an overbridge, citing the site's high risk.
During yesterday's protest, hundreds of vehicles were stranded, causing severe traffic congestion.
Mithapukur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Parvez and the office-in-charge of the local police station, Md Nuruzzaman, visited the site, urged protesters to lift the blockade and the road reopened at about 7pm.
OC Nuruzzaman said the overbridge demand is reasonable, adding that authorities will hold a meeting next Tuesday at the upazila office to decide on prompt action.
