Road crash kills 16 garments workers in Rangpur

Sixteen homebound garments workers were killed and seven others injured in a fatal road accident at Kolabagan point on the Dhaka-Rangpur highway under Pirganj upazila here today, police and hospital sources said. 

"The accident occurred at 4:45am when a Lalmonirhat bound cement-laden truck from Dhaka skidded off the road and fell into a roadside ditch as its driver lost control over the steering," said in-charge of Barodorga Highway Police camp Hafizur Rahman. 

"Eleven garments workers, including four females, of Kaliganj upazila in Lalmonirhat district were killed on the spot after being buried under cement bags," he said. 

Five of the injured garments workers succumbed to their injuries at Pirganj Upazila Health Complex. Other inured injured workers were shifted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital (RMCH), Hafizur added. 

He said the ill-fated garment workers boarded the cement-laden truck at Chandra Mour point on the highway in Gazipur district on way back homes to celebrate the Eid-ul-Fitr. 

Officer-in-charge (OC) of Pirganj Thana Rezaul Karim said four units of the Fire Service and Civil Defense rushed to the spot soon after the accident, recovered the bodies and injured persons and completed rescue operation within a couple of hours. 

The deceased were identified as Khalilur Rahman, 40, Sadhona, 28, Kohinoor Begum, 40, Shahidul Islam, 18, Manju, 35, Alamgir Hossain, 40, Delwar Hossain, 33, Saddam Hossain, 28, Monir Hossain, 30, Rafikul Islam, 32, Anisuzzaman, 35, Jashim Uddin, 39, Azizur Rahman, 30, Rabiul Islam, 36, Nokita Akhter, 10 and an unidentified woman, 36, of different villages under Kaliganj upazila. 

Police seized the truck.

Source: bss