A pall of grief descended on Mongla in Bagerhat district as nine members of the same family who were among the 14 people killed in  road crash on Khulna–Mongla highway were laid to rest on Friday.

Four other victims were buried in Khulna and another in Rampal upazila of Bagerhat district earlier in the day.

A bus collided head-on with a microbus carrying a wedding party near Belai Bridge in Rampal upazila of Bagerhat district on Thursday afternoon, leaving 14 people including the bride and the groom dead.

After the Juma prayers on Friday, the namaz-e-janaza for the nine family members were held at the Mongla Upazila Parishad ground in Bagerhat.

The  deceased were later buried at the Mongla Port municipal graveyard.

The tragedy has left the coastal port town in shock with residents describing the loss as one of the most heartbreaking incidents in recent memory.

The bodies were brought to Mongla early Friday from Khulna Medical College Hospital and Rampal Hospital.

The coffins were placed in rows at a field beside the upazila parishad building from the morning, where grieving relatives and locals gathered to pay their last respects.

Those buried in Mongla include Abdur Razzak, president of BNP’s Ward No. 8 unit of Mongla Port municipality, his two sons Sabbir and Abdullah, his daughter Aishi, four grandchildren—Arfa, Iran, Fahim and Alif—and his daughter-in-law Putul Begum.

Four other victims- bride Mitu, her sister, grandmother and maternal grandmother from Koyra upazila of Khulna were laid to rest at their village home in Naksha of Khulna earlier in the day.

Another victim, the microbus driver , was buried at his home in Rampal.

According to police and local residents, the accident occurred when a  bus travelling from Mongla to Khulna collided head-on with the microbus carrying the groom’s party.

Several passengers died on the spot while others succumbed to their injuries on the way to hospital.

Among those present were State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Dr Sheikh Faridul Islam, who is also the MP for Bagerhat-3 (Mongla–Rampal), Bagerhat-2 MP Sheikh Manjurul Haque Rahat, Bagerhat Deputy Commissioner Golam Mohammad Baten, Superintendent of Police Mohammad Hasan Chowdhury, and other political leaders and local representatives.

Speaking at the gathering, Faridul Islam termed the accident “deeply tragic” and said a probe committee would be formed through the district administration to investigate the incident.

“We will take stricter measures to prevent road accidents on this highway,” he said.

Bride and groom returning from wedding party among 12 killed in Bagerhat road crash

He added that the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has provided Tk 5 lakh in financial assistance to each of the victims’ families.

Additional support will also be provided through the district administration and the Bangladesh Navy.

As Mongla mourns the loss, the tragedy has renewed calls for stronger road safety measures on the busy Khulna–Mongla highway, where locals say reckless driving and heavy traffic often put lives at risk.