Two people, including a CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver, were killed and another passenger critically injured after a truck struck the three-wheeler from behind before both vehicles plunged into a roadside pond in Chandina upazila of Cumilla on Wednesday.
The accident occurred around 2:30pm in the Nuritala area on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway amid heavy rainfall, according to police and local witnesses.
The deceased were identified as Hanif Mia, 35, son of Abdul Mannan of Panchkitta village in Burichang upazila, and Labib Hossain, 15, son of Monir Hossain of Dariapur village in Debidwar upazila.
The injured, Sajib Hossain, 24, son of Sirajul Islam of the same village, is a cousin of Labib.
According to local residents and officials of Eliotganj Highway Police Station, the CNG-run auto-rickshaw was travelling from Madhaiya when a Chattogram-bound truck hit it from behind near Nuritala. After the collision, both vehicles skidded off the highway and plunged into a roadside pond.
Locals rushed to the scene, rescued the victims from the autorickshaw and took them to Chandina Upazila Health Complex.
As the condition of the injured deteriorated, they were referred to hospitals in Cumilla, where Hanif and Labib later died while undergoing treatment.
Labib’s paternal aunt, Kohinur Begum, and Hanif’s brother-in-law confirmed the deaths, saying the bodies were taken to their respective homes after hospital formalities were completed.
Officer-in-Charge Zakir Hossain Sikder of Eliotganj Highway Police Station said police, with assistance from local residents, immediately sent the injured to hospital after the crash.
“We are verifying the details of the fatalities and will take necessary legal action in connection with the accident,” the OC said.
