Tragic Truck Accident in Bangladesh Claims 15 Lives
Fatal Incident Near Jamuna Bridge
Representational Image
Dhaka, May 25: A devastating accident in Bangladesh resulted in the deaths of at least 15 individuals and left many others injured when a truck carrying iron rods overturned near the eastern section of the Jamuna Bridge in Kalihati upazila, Tangail district, early Monday morning.
As reported by local police, the truck was transporting passengers to northern regions in celebration of Eid.
Tangail Superintendent of Police Muhammad Shamsul Alan Sarkar confirmed that the incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. in the Saratail Dakshinpara area along the Dhaka-Tangail highway, according to a leading local newspaper.
Sarkar mentioned that the identities of the deceased have not yet been verified, while rescue operations by police and fire service teams were ongoing at the site.
He explained that the truck, which was overloaded with rods and passengers, lost control and toppled into a ditch on the roadside.
Syed Riaz Uddin, an executive engineer at the Jamuna Bridge Authority, stated that many passengers were sitting on top of the rods and became trapped underneath when the truck flipped over.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel, leading to this tragic event.
Md Sharif, Officer-in-Charge of Elenga Highway Police Station, noted that the rescue efforts caused significant traffic delays on the highway, although normal traffic flow was eventually restored.
In a related note, earlier reports indicated that during the Eid holidays in March, road accidents across 14 districts in Bangladesh resulted in at least 40 fatalities and 69 injuries.
Additionally, a separate incident in March saw 12 people killed and 18 injured when a Chattogram-Dhaka mail train collided with a bus at a level crossing in Cumilla district. Eyewitness accounts revealed that the bus was dragged by the train for nearly a kilometer.
Authorities reported that no gateman was present at the time of the collision, leading to the suspension of two gatemen for their negligence.