Ten killed as truck crashes in Bhaluka
Rezia Begum along with her husband and three children was heading for Balikhan in Mymensingh to see her ailing father.
The hard-up family boarded a truck in the capital early yesterday as it was much cheaper than a bus trip.
But it turned out to be the last journey of their life. A tragic road accident in Mymensingh's Bhaluka upazila claimed their lives.
Including them, 10 people were killed and four others injured in the accident.
Dreaming for a better future, Rezia's husband Azizul Haque, 40, came to Dhaka seven months ago. The family lived in the capital's Bashabo, Rezia's brother Jahidul Islam told The Daily Star.
Azizul was a rickshaw-puller and his 35-year-old wife worked as a domestic help in local houses.
The couple wanted to educate their children, but they didn't have enough money. So they decided to relocate to Dhaka to earn more, Azizul's brother Nazrul Islam said.
Zahurul Islam, a sergeant of Bharaduba Highway Police Station, said the Sherpur-bound truck carrying bags of cement from Dhaka tipped over on the road after hitting a shallow trench on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway around 4:00am.
Police said the truck was carrying 350 bags of cement weighing over 17 tonnes. The vehicle was seized by cops, but its driver managed to flee.
According to locals, the truck tipped over on the highway after hitting the trench dug in the road to repair it. They blamed the authorities for not putting any barrier across the trench.
The dead are Azizul, his wife Rezia, sons Mehedi Hasan, 11, Nayon, 9, and Sizan, 7; Jyosna Begum, 55, and her son Shirajul Islam, 18; Sajahan Hossain, 40, Sukur Ali, 65, and Khorshed Ali, 25.
They were from Mymensingh's Sadar and Tarakanda upazilas and Sherpur's Nakla and Nalitabari upazilas, police said.
Of the victims, nine died on the sport and Sukur Ali passed away at Bhaluka Upazila Health Complex.
The bodies were handed over to the victims' families. The injured received treatment at the health complex, said Mamun-or-Rashid, officer-in-charge of Bhaluka Police Station.
The road was dug from morning till Thursday afternoon. But no warning sign was put up at the site, said Hanif Khan, a businessman from Meherabari area and also the vice-president of Sramik League's Bhaluka unit.
Local grocery shop owner Rubel Miah said, “Hearing a big sound, I rushed to the spot and started screaming for help.”
People from nearby areas went to the spot and started the rescue operation, Rubel told this correspondent.
Sher Mahbub Murad, upazila nirbahi officer of Tarakandi, said they gave Tk 10,000 to Azizul's relatives to meet burial expenses. Financial assistance would be given to Azizul's mother, he added.
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