Five-year-old Ashamoni had been waiting for her father to return home so they could celebrate Eid-ul-Azha together, said her mother, Sabina Pramanik, 24.

But that hope remained unfulfilled, as her father, Badsha Mia, 28, was killed in a road accident while returning home.

Badsha was among the 15 people killed in today’s road accident in Tangail.

Alongside Badsha, eight of the victims were residents of three villages under Varsho union in Manda upazila of Naogaon.

Manda Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Akhtar Jahan Sathi confirmed the identities of the victims from the three villages.

The deceased from Rajendrabati village were identified as Mohammad Tarek, 21; Md Abdul Barek, 24; Mohammad Badsha Mia, 28; Md Sohag, 21; Md Sagar, 22; and Mohammad Rabiul, 26. All six worked as hawkers.

Two of the victims were brothers from neighbouring Pakuria village -- Mohammad Mainul, 27, and Mohammad Gias Uddin, 22.

Another victim was Mohammad Moinur Islam, 30, from Murshidpur village.

The six deceased hawkers from Rajendrabati village used to travel to different parts of the country, selling plastic goods and household items on bicycles, said local resident Ashraful Mondal.

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The village is home to around 500 fishing families who traditionally depend on fishing in the nearby Shib river and surrounding wetlands for around three to four months a year.

For the remainder of the year, around 300 men from the village travel to different districts to sell bangles, bowls, earrings, silver utensils and other household items door-to-door. Many also collect human hair from households and sell it to wig factories.

Family members said the six men had travelled to Noakhali and Feni after Eid-ul-Fitr for hawking.

Moyna Begum, mother of deceased Barek, said, “I last spoke to my son around noon yesterday. He said he was suffering losses in business and wanted to return home, but did not have money for the journey. I told him to borrow some money and come home. He borrowed money and boarded the truck in Feni, but he never made it back.”

Ashraful Mondal, cousin of deceased Sohag, said, “Sohag was the only son of his parents. His two sisters are married. He got married just six months ago. After Eid-ul-Fitr, he went to Noakhali with many others from the village. Now, ahead of Eid, his family is mourning his death.”

The UNO told The Daily Star that the funeral prayers for the six deceased from Rajendrabati village will be held tomorrow at 10:00am at a field adjacent to Rajendrabati Government Primary School.

Family members said more than 25 passengers from the same area boarded a rod-laden truck together at Mohipal in Feni because bus fares were too high. The truck was heading to Naogaon.

They were among dozens of passengers travelling atop the iron rods loaded on the truck, which overturned into a roadside ditch near the eastern end of the Jamuna bridge in Tangail's Kalihati upazila around 4:00am today.

Varsho Union Parishad Chairman Mostafizur Rahman Sumon said the government would provide Tk 25,000 to each victim’s family. The government will also bear the cost of five ambulances used to transport the bodies.