Four killed in Cox's Bazar road crash

At least four people, including three Rohingyas, were killed, and 10 others injured, in a road crash in Ukhia upazila on the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf highway yesterday.

The dead are Nur Kayes, 25, Tosrin, 20, and Tosrin's five month old baby Moshrefa Akhter, who are all Rohingya refugees of Balukhali camp, and Rozina Akter, 26, of Balukhali Paanbazar area.

Army officials stationed in the area began a rescue operation immediately after the accident, and recovered the bodies and rescued the injured.

The injured -- Helal Uddin, 21, of Haldia palong union, Fatema Begum, 27, of Teknaf Naityong Para, Hamidur Rahman, 16, of Balukhali village, Anwara Begum, 25, of the same village -- were taken to Kutupalong Red Crescent Field Hospital for treatment, said Chailau Marma, additional superintendent of police (ASP) of Ukhia circle.

The accident occurred at around 9:00am at the Bangladesh-Myanmar Moitree Sarak near the Balukhali Customs office, when a truck, loaded with 25 tonnes of bamboo, turned turtle, crushing four easy-bikes carrying passengers beside it, and then fell into a roadside ditch. On its way to a Rohingya camp in Teknaf, the ill-fated truck fell when it tried to give way to another vehicle coming from the opposite direction, said police quoting locals.

Locals said that many parts of Cox's Bazar-Teknaf highway have developed cracks and large potholes as several thousand vehicles ply through the road every day.

ASP Marma said the bodies of the four dead have been handed over to the families.

Police was preparing to file a case in this regard; however the driver and helper of the truck were on the run, he added.