At least 17 people were killed and seven others injured after a rod-laden truck overturned in the Kalihati upazila of Tangail.

The accident took place around 5:00 AM on Monday (May 25) in the Soratoil area of the Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge Highway. The identities of the victims could not be learned immediately.

Fayeze Ahmed, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Jamuna Bridge East Police Station, reported that the truck, carrying approximately 30 passengers on top of a cargo of steel rods, was heading toward the northern region.

Around 5:00 AM, the driver lost control of the vehicle, causing it to overturn and plunge into a roadside ditch in the Soratoil area.

Seventeen passengers were crushed to death under the weight of the truck and the rods, while seven others sustained injuries.

Fire service personnel and locals rescued the injured and rushed them to Tangail General Hospital.

The OC added that vehicular movement on the highway was temporarily disrupted following the accident. Efforts are currently underway to identify the deceased.