Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
At least 15 people were killed and 10 others injured after a truck carrying iron rods and extra passengers overturned on a major highway in central Bangladesh early Monday, police said.
The accident took place around 5am in the Soratoil area of Tangail district, about 83km northwest of Dhaka, after the driver lost control of the vehicle, local police chief Fuad Hossain said.
Fuad Hossain said the truck was carrying hitchhiking passengers and travelling from Dhaka to the northern region as people began heading home ahead of Eid al-Adha on Thursday.
The truck overturned, killing several passengers on the spot, he said.
Most of the passengers were day labourers travelling to join their families for the festival, the official added.
Witnesses said they rushed to the scene after hearing a loud noise and helped rescue passengers trapped under the vehicle.
Road accidents kill thousands every year in Bangladesh, a country of more than 170 million people, due to lax enforcement of traffic rules, poor road conditions and unskilled driving.