Strange traffic jam on Dhaka-Chittagong highway as drivers fall asleep, creating 5km blockage

A bizarre situation unfolded early on Friday (January 24) on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway near Comilla’s Elliotganj area, where several truck and car drivers parked their vehicles and fell asleep, causing a massive traffic jam.

It all started around 3 a.m. when thick fog took over the highway. Vehicles traveling towards Dhaka had to stop along the road due to the poor visibility. 

Inside their vehicles, many drivers fell asleep. As they slept, the vehicles behind them got stuck, and before long, even more drivers pulled over, joining the growing number of parked cars. 

This resulted in a traffic jam that stretched for about 5 kilometers, from Kutumbpur through Gomta, all the way to Elliotganj Bazaar.

Local residents and other drivers noticed the situation early in the morning. 

The police arrived shortly after and began waking the drivers up to get the traffic moving again. 

Some drivers needed a little extra effort to be woken up, according to reports.

Deowan Koushik, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the Highway Police‍‍`s Elliotganj station, commented on the incident, saying, 

“The traffic jam started at 3 a.m. when drivers stopped their cars and fell asleep. We quickly arrived and started waking them up. Some needed to be shouted at to wake up. The traffic is moving again now, though there‍‍`s still some congestion. We‍‍`re working on it, and I’m hopeful it will clear up soon.”

Thanks to the prompt action of the police, the jam started to clear up, and vehicles were able to move again, though there was still some lingering congestion on the busy highway.