Two motorcyclists died and another man suffered critical injuries after four vehicles collided on the Dhaka-Aricha Highway in Dhamrai on Saturday morning, police said.

The accident occurred in the Islampur area after a passenger bus broke down and stopped in the main lane of the highway. Authorities admitted the injured man to Enam Medical College Hospital in Savar, where he is receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Police said the broken-down bus forced a private car travelling behind it to brake suddenly. A covered van following the car also applied its brakes. Moments later, a Swadhinata Paribahan minibus travelling at high speed crashed into two motorcycles behind the covered van, throwing the riders onto the road.

Rescuers took the injured victims to Dhamrai Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared two of them dead during treatment. The crash also damaged four vehicles.

Police identified one of the victims as Abbas Saha, a postgraduate student at Government Debendra College in Manikganj and son of Jagannath Saha of Dendabor in Ashulia, Savar.

The other victim, Sujoy Saha, was an HSC examinee and son of Ashutosh Saha of Shibalaya upazila in Manikganj. Police said Abbas and Sujoy were cousins.

Savar Highway Police Sub-Inspector Shahadat Hossain confirmed the deaths and said officers are contacting the victims’ families before completing the legal formalities.

Dhamrai Police Sub-Inspector Tarek said police rushed to the scene after receiving a call through the national emergency service, 999.

Preliminary findings suggest the vehicles behind the broken-down bus braked one after another before the speeding minibus rammed the two motorcycles, triggering the fatal collision, he said.

Police seized the bus, the covered van and the two motorcycles involved in the crash. As the accident occurred on the highway, Dhamrai police handed the case over to the highway police for further investigation.