A teacher and a first-grader were killed when a pickup truck hit them inside a school in Manikganj’s Shibaloy Upazila on Monday.
Four others were also injured in the accident that took place in Abdul Alim Memorial School in Tepra area around 11am.
The deceased were identified as Fatema Nasrin, 35, and Jarin Tasnim, 7, Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Shahin of Shibaloy police confirmed.
According to police and locals, the pickup truck belonging to contractor “NDE Company” was rented by the school authorities and kept on the school grounds.
The students went to the field during lunch break. At that time, the driver started the engine but lost control, and crushed the victims under the wheels.
The duo died on the spot while the injured, including minor students, were taken to Upazila Health Complex for treatment.
Of the injured, Josna Sarkar, 40, is undergoing treatment at the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR) in Dhaka in critical condition.
The other teachers along with the headmaster fled the scene immediately after the accident.
Meanwhile, NDE representative Ainul Islam said: "Our company is implementing development work on the Dhaka-Aricha Highway in the upazila. For that, we kept two vehicles at the school by paying monthly rent. We're sorry for the inconvenience."
However, District Education Officer Rebecca Jahan said Abdul Alim Memorial School is not among the 236 listed secondary schools in Manikganj. “It could be a private school.
“However, there is no provision for commercial use of school premises. If the school authorities had given permission to keep the vehicle in exchange for rent, then he must have disobeyed the government order,” she continued.
OC Shahin said an investigation was underway to bring the responsible to justice as soon as possible.