At least 15 people were killed and several others injured early Monday after an overloaded truck carrying iron rods and dozens of passengers overturned into a roadside ditch near the eastern end of the Jamuna Bridge in Tangail’s Kalihati upazila, authorities said.
The deadly accident occurred around 4:00 a.m. in the Saratail Dakshinpara area along the busy Dhaka-Tangail highway as thousands of people across Bangladesh began traveling home ahead of Eid al-Adha.
Police, fire service officials and hospital authorities said many of the victims were hawkers and day laborers returning to northern districts after working in the southeastern region, including Feni and Chattogram.
According to police, the truck lost control as it approached the Jamuna Bridge and overturned into a roadside ditch. The vehicle was reportedly carrying iron rods along with dozens of passengers sitting atop the cargo — a dangerous but common practice among low-income workers seeking cheaper transportation during holiday periods.
Tangail Superintendent of Police Muhammad Shamsul Alam Sarkar, speaking to reporters from the crash site on Monday morning, confirmed the death toll and said most of the victims were plastic goods hawkers working in Chowmuhoni, Noakhali.
“They boarded the Chapainawabganj-bound truck from Feni and Chittagong to return home for Eid,” the police official said while briefing journalists at the scene.
Rescue workers described a horrific operation lasting more than an hour as iron rods pinned many victims beneath the overturned vehicle.
Elenga Fire Service In-Charge Atowar Rahman said his unit received the emergency call shortly after the crash.
“We were alerted at around 4:05 a.m. and reached the spot by 4:25 a.m. Initially, we recovered four bodies and rescued several injured passengers alive,” Rahman told local reporters during the rescue operation.
However, the scale of the tragedy became clear only after police used a wrecker to lift the truck.
“After the truck was lifted, 11 more bodies were found trapped under the iron rods,” he said.
Nine survivors were rushed to Tangail General Hospital, where doctors said several remained in critical condition.
Dr. Sadiqur Rahman, superintendent of Tangail General Hospital, said all injured victims were admitted immediately after rescue efforts.
“Five of the injured have already been discharged after primary treatment, while four remain under medical care,” he told journalists at the hospital on Monday.
Authorities identified at least six of the deceased by Monday afternoon: Md Sagar Miah, 20, and Rabniul Islam, 25, from Naogaon’s Manda area; Sarikul, 25, from Niamatpur in Naogaon; Ismail Hossain, 19, from Tanore in Rajshahi; Md Nazrul, 60, from Shibganj in Chapainawabganj; and Mamun, 45, also from Chapainawabganj.
One survivor, Md Alamgir, 40, described the moments before the crash.
“When we came near the Jamuna Bridge, the vehicle suddenly braked hard and fell into the ditch,” Alamgir told reporters from his hospital bed at Tangail General Hospital. “Several passengers had already warned the driver to slow down.”
Authorities suspect fatigue may have played a role in the crash.
Syed Riaz Uddin, executive engineer at the Jamuna Bridge site office under the Bangladesh Bridge Authority, said preliminary assessments suggested the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel before losing control of the truck.
The crash also caused major traffic congestion along the Dhaka-Tangail highway during the early morning rescue operation, though highway police later restored normal traffic movement.
Elenga Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Sharif said traffic resumed by late morning after damaged materials and wreckage were removed from the road.
The Associated Press reported that the truck had been transporting “extra passengers” heading toward northern Bangladesh as Eid travelers rushed home ahead of the Islamic holiday.
The tragedy has once again highlighted Bangladesh’s chronic road safety crisis.
Road accidents remain one of the country’s deadliest public safety challenges. According to the World Health Organization, thousands of people die annually in traffic accidents across Bangladesh due to poor enforcement of traffic laws, reckless driving, unfit vehicles, inadequate highway monitoring, and unsafe transportation practices.
Transport safety experts have long warned against the widespread practice of carrying passengers on freight trucks, especially during Eid holidays when public transport fares rise sharply and ticket shortages intensify.
In recent years, Bangladesh has witnessed repeated fatal highway accidents involving overloaded buses and freight vehicles carrying workers and seasonal travelers. Safety advocates say many of these deaths could be prevented through stricter enforcement, driver rest regulations, and stronger highway surveillance systems.
The latest accident near the Jamuna Bridge has renewed calls for authorities to crack down on unsafe passenger transport practices before the Eid travel rush intensifies further.
