7 killed as truck falls into ditch in Cumilla

A rice-laden truck traveling from Dinajpur to Noakhali lost control and fell into a roadside ditch along the Dhaka–Chattogram highway at Hasanpur in Daudkandi upazila of Cumilla, leaving seven people dead. Five others were injured.

The accident occurred at around 2:45 am on Tuesday. All the victims were agricultural workers involved in harvesting paddy. The bodies of the deceased have been recovered and kept at the Daudkandi highway police station.

Officer-in-Charge of Daudkandi highway police station, Mohammad Iqbal Bahar Majumdar, confirmed the information.

According to police, the deceased are Abzal Hossain (35), Sohrab Hossain (40), Abu Saleh (42), Suman Mia (21), Bishu Mia (34), Abu Hossain (29), and Abdur Rashid (58). All of them were from Dinajpur.

The injured are Amir Ali (45), Tarikul Islam (50), Jalal Hossain (37), Md Aminul Islam (38), and Jahangir Alam (40).

Police and hospital sources said the injured were first treated at Daudkandi Upazila Health Complex. As their condition worsened, they were sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital the same night.

Nayan De, a doctor at Daudkandi Upazila Health Complex, told Prothom Alo that the condition of the five injured is very critical.