At least 15 people were killed after a rod-laden truck overturned at the eastern end of the Jamuna Bridge in Tangail’s Kalihati upazila early today. At least six others were injured in the accident.
All the deceased were travelling on the truck towards northern districts on the occasion of Eid, according to police.
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The accident occurred around 4:30am in the Saratail Dakshinpara area of the Dhaka-Tangail highway.
Tangail Superintendent of Police Muhammad Shamsul Alan Sarkar confirmed the information to The Daily Star from the scene.
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He said that the identities of the deceased could not be known immediately. Police and fire service personnel are carrying out rescue operations at the scene.
He added that the truck, loaded with rods and passengers, was heading north. On the way, the driver lost control of the truck in the Saratail Dakshinpara area of the highway, causing it to overturn into a roadside ditch.
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The injured were rescued and taken to Tangail Sadar Hospital.
Syed Riaz Uddin, executive engineer at the Jamuna Bridge site office of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority, told The Daily Star that the deceased and injured were travelling atop the rods on the truck. After the truck overturned, they were crushed under the rods.
It is suspected that the tragic accident occurred after the truck driver fell asleep, he added.
Meanwhile, Elenga Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Sharif told The Daily Star around 9:00am that a tailback was created on the highway during the rescue operation following the accident, but it later returned to normal.
At present, traffic movement on the highway is completely normal, he added.
