At least five people, including three women, were killed in a head-on collision between a gas cylinder-laden truck and a CNG-run auto-rickshaw on the bypass road in Kushtia on Saturday.
The deceased include the auto-rickshaw driver and its passengers, though their identities could not be confirmed immediately.
The accident occurred at around 2pm in front of Kushtia Store on the city’s bypass road.
According to eyewitnesses, the auto-rickshaw was travelling from Koburhat via the bypass when it collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction.
The impact left the auto-rickshaw completely mangled, killing three people on the spot, while two others died on the way to hospital.
Police and Fire Service personnel rushed to the scene after receiving information and carried out rescue operations.
Traffic movement was temporarily disrupted following the accident, but police later restored normal flow.
Kushtia 250-bed Hospital Resident Medical Officer Dr Hossain Imam said the bodies of two men were brought to the hospital at around 2:30pm.
Kushtia Highway Police Officer-in-Charge Md Abu Obayed confirmed the five deaths, adding that both vehicles have been seized, although the truck driver fled the scene.
