Woman, grandchild dead as truck hits auto-rickshaw in Dhaka’s Rupnagar

A woman and her grandchild were killed and two other family members were injured after a truck hit their auto-rickshaw in Dhaka's Rupnagar area this morning.

The deceased are Salma Begum (55), and Rinta Akter (11). Both arrived in Dhaka from Rangpur's Kaliganj upazila three days ago to visit family members.

The accident happened around 6:00am when Salma, Rinta, her elder sister Alina Jahan Rima (13) were heading towards Ashulia on the auto-rickshaw driven by the children's uncle Sohel Rana Salek. 

As the auto-rickshaw reached near Pump House area on Rupnagar Beribandh, a truck hit the vehicle, leaving Rinta dead on the spot, said Lokman Hossain, a sub-inspector of Rupnagar Police Station.

Salma was declared dead after she was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 12:00pm.

The accident also left Rima and Salek injured. They were receiving treatment at National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedic Rehabilitation in the city. 

Talking to reporters at DMCH, Rinta's aunt Shewly Begum said her mother along with the children came to visit her father in Adabar three days ago.

"They were on their way to my house in Ashulia," she said in tears.

The truck driver fled after the accident.

Police said they are trying to identify the vehicle.