Sylhet Bureau

At least 15 people were killed and eight others were injured when a truck rammed into a pick-up van on Sylhet-Dhaka highway at Nazir Bazar in Dakkhin Surma upazila in the Sylhet district on Wednesday.

Nine of the deceased were identified as Haris Mia, 50, Sourav, 25, Sadhu Mia, 40, Tayef Nur, 45, Sagar, 18, Rashid Mia, 40, Dulal Mia, 55, Badsha Mia, 45 and Wahid Ali, 40 of Sunamganj district while the identities of four people could not be known immediately.

The accident took place at about 5:30am when the sand-laden truck hit a pick-up van carrying construction workers in Kutubpur area under dakshin Surma upazila , leaving 11 people dead and 10 others injured, said Md Samsuddoha, officer-in-charge of Dakshin Surma Police Station.

The injured were taken to Sylhet Osmani Medical College and Hospital where the doctors declared two of them dead.

The pick-up van with 20-22 construction workers was heading towards Tajpur.

Vehicular movement on Sylhet-Dhaka highway remained suspended for three hours following the accident.

A long tailback was created after the accident on the highway. However, the vehicular movement resumed around 8:00am after police intervention.

on receiving the accident news State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury rushed to the Osmani hospital to see the victims of the road accident in Sylhet on Wednesday (June 7).

He went directly to MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital after landing at Sylhet Osmani Osmani Airport in the morning. The state minister inquired about the treatment of the injured.

Khalid Mahmud said, our first task is to identify the victims and hand over their bodies to their families, arrange for their burial. The government will stand by the affected families. He assured all kinds of cooperation from the government.

State Minister Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury announced financial assistance of 20,000 taka to each family of the victims on behalf of the government. Besides, the government will bear the medical expenses of the injured, he said.

At that time, Awami League mayoral candidate Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury, hospital director Brigadier General Mahbubur Rahman Bhuiyan also present here.