At least seven people have been killed and six others injured in a tragic road accident in Daudkandi upazila of Cumilla.
The accident occurred around 3:10 am on Monday night in the Hasanpur area on the Dhaka–Chattogram highway, when a rice-laden truck lost control and fell into a roadside ditch.
Daudkandi Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge Iqbal Bahar Mojumder confirmed the accident.
The deceased were identified as Afzal Hossain (35), son of Md Azad from Khalibpur area of Nawabganj Police Station in Dinajpur; Sohrab Hossain (40), son of Alam from the same village; Salek (45), son of Fazlur Rahman; Suman (21), son of Palash from Bhaighar area of Birampur Upazila; Bishnu (35) from the same village; Abu Hossain (30), son of Majirul Islam; and Abdur Rashid (55), son of Rakibullah.
Six injured were rushed to local hospital.
According to highway police and local sources, the truck was traveling from Dinajpur to Chattogram carrying rice. When it reached the Hasanpur area, the driver lost control, causing the truck to overturn and plunge into a deep roadside ditch.
Several passengers were sitting on top of the sacks of rice in the truck. They had boarded the truck mainly to reach their destination at a lower cost.
bd-pratidin/GR