4 killed as truck falls into ditch

Four people were killed and three others injured as a brick-laden truck fell into a 40-foot-deep ditch in Ashulia on the outskirts of Dhaka yesterday.

The accident happened around 6:00am after the driver lost control on a muddy road in Moragang area, said fire service sources.

Hearing screams, locals jumped into the water and rescued three injured. However, four others were missing, said Javed Masud, inspector (investigation) of Ashulia Police Station.

Two die and two others go missing as a brick-laden truck falls into the water-filled ditch in Ashulia, on the outskirts of Dhaka, seen in the picture taken on Tuesday, January 29, 2019. Photo: Aklakur Rahman Akash

 Manik-Uz-Zaman, deputy assistant director of Dhaka Fire Zone-10, said on information, teams of naval police and Uttara fire service carried out a rescue operation and later recovered four bodies.

The dead were Mujahid, 25, Shaheen, 32, Arif, 18 and Abdul Kader, 45.

Grief-stricken by the death of their relatives in a road crash, family members wail near the bodies in Ashulia's Moragang area yesterday. The accident left four people dead and three others injured. Photo: Star

All the seven victims were workers of Meghna Brick Kiln in Ashulia. The injured were taken to hospital.

The inspector said following primary investigation they came to know that the accident happened when Mujahid, the helper of the driver, was at the wheel. However, he said they were not fully sure about it.

The bodies were handed over to the families without autopsy.

Police said they would file a case.

A crane pulls up the ill-fated truck from a roadside ditch. Photo: Star

The Daily Star correspondent could not contact Jamir Mia, owner of the brick kiln and the truck, for comments despite repeated attempts.

The vehicle was seized.