At least seven people, including three children, lost their lives and four others sustained injuries after a microbus carrying relatives of an expatriate veered off the road and fell into a canal in Begumganj upazila of Noakhali early Wednesday.

According to fire service officials, the victims were members of a family returning home after receiving a relative who had just returned from abroad. Survivors alleged that the driver had dozed off before the vehicle lost control. He fled the scene following the crash.

The deceased have been identified as:

• Mim, aged 2

• Lamia, aged 9

• Reshmi, aged 10

• Kabita Begum, aged 30 (Mim’s mother)

• Laboni Begum, aged 30

• Khurshida Begum, aged 55

• Foyzun Nesa, aged 80

Farid Uddin, assistant director of the Noakhali Fire Service, confirmed that two of the deceased were the wife and daughter of Bahar Uddin, an Oman-based expatriate. The family was from the Chopalli area of Hajjirpara in Lakshmipur.

Md Mozammel Haque, station officer at Chowmuhani Fire Service, stated that the incident occurred around 5:30am on the Noakhali-Lakshmipur regional highway near Jagadishpur, when the vehicle skidded off the road and plunged into the Wapda canal at Chandraganj Dakshin Bazar.

Out of the 11 passengers, five managed to escape the submerged vehicle. All seven victims were women and children who became trapped inside and died at the scene, he said.

Rescue teams recovered the bodies and removed the vehicle from the canal. The deceased were handed over to Chandraganj Highway Police.

Officer-in-charge Mobarak Hossain of the Chandraganj Highway Police confirmed that although five people survived, they only suffered minor injuries and did not require hospitalization. He also said that a case will be filed with Begumganj Police Station and the bodies have been sent for autopsies.

The family was reportedly on their way home after welcoming Bahar Uddin, who had returned from Oman the previous night.