A pick-up truck carrying passengers has overturned in Natore’s Gurudaspur, killing six people and injuring at least six others, including a child.
The accident occurred on Sunday afternoon on the Bonpara-Hatikumurul Road, west of the Kachikata Toll Plaza, reports bdnews24.com.
The injured have been taken to the Gurudaspur Upazila Health Complex and the Bonpara Private Hospital for treatment. The number of victims may still rise, the fire service said.
The names and identities of the victims have yet to be announced.
The fire service received word of an accident in the area, rushed there and recovered five bodies from an overturned pick-up truck, said Bonpara Fire Service Station Officer Md Asaduzzaman. Another victim died on the way to the hospital.
A pick-up was headed from the Bonpara bypass intersection towards Dhaka carrying 20-25 passengers, said Mozaffar Hossain, chief of the Bonpara Highway Police Station.
“The pick-up overturned and fell onto some low-lying land, not far from the Gurudaspur toll plaza,” he said. “Five people, including two women, died on the spot, while another died in hospital.”
Ever since Eid, large numbers of working people are boarding pick-ups and trucks to get to Dhaka, said local resident Omor D Costa.
The victims were garment workers making this trip, he said. There had been some light rain in the area and the vehicle veered out of control and overturned by the side of the road.
College teacher Ashraf Hossain said that freight vehicles transported passengers, due to the presence of law enforcers. “The police don’t usually stop them for humane considerations, but the practice does put people at greater risk.”
