At least 10 people including a couple and their three children were killed and several others injured when a cement-laden truck fell into a roadside ditch on Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway at Meherabari in Bhaluka on Friday.
"Nine of them died on the spot while another succumbed to injuries at the Upazila Health Complex," Bhaluka Fire Service Assistant Director Shahidur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune. The accident occurred at around 3:35am.Also Read- 3,412 killed in 2,998 road accidents in 2016
The deceased family members were named as Azizul Islam, 40 and his wife Razia Khatun, 25, and their three sons Mahedi Hasan, 11, Mizan, 8, and Sizan, three. The others killed in the accident were Shukur Ali, 65, Josna Begum 55, Shajahan, 40, Khurshed Ali, 25, and Sirajul Islam, 18. A firefighting unit and local police conducted the operation to rescue the injured, who have been admitted to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. Friday's tragedy is the latest to highlight the appalling safety record of the Bangladesh road network. According to a recent report by the National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways, a total of 3,412 people were killed and 8,572 others injured in 2,998 road accidents in 2016 alone. Of the casualties, 470 were women and 453 were children.
