At least 14 people were killed and 20 others injured when a speeding truck ran through several vehicles before plunging into a roadside ditch near Gabkhan bridge in the Jhalakathi municipality area on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, two couples were killed in two separate road accidents in Savar and Naogaon.
The identities of the deceased in Jhalakathi accident could not be known immediately. According to the relatives of the deceased, all the people on the crushed vehicles were on way to attend a wedding ceremony.
The accident occurred around 1:30pm when the cement-laden truck ploughed through ten vehicles, including an auto-rickshaw and a car, standing in front of the toll gate.
Shahidul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Jhalkathi Sadar Police Station said 12 people died on the spot and 16 to 20 people were injured. Two more people died while undergoing treatment at hospital, said Superintendent of Jhalkathi Police Mohammad Afruzul Haque Tutul.
Dr Mehdi Hasan Sani, resident medical officer of Jhalkathi Sadar Hospital, said they received 12 dead bodies from the road accident while another 17 people were admitted with injuries.
Some of the injured have been sent to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment, he added.
Jhalakathi Deputy Commissioner Farah Gul Nijhum said a four-member probe committee, headed by Jhalakathi Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Md Ruhul Amin, has been formed to investigate the incident.
The committee has been asked to submit a report within the next five working days, she said, adding that necessary action will be taken after the submission of the report.
Meanwhile, during the Eid holidays, around 100 people have died in road crashes across the country between 7 to 16 April. Although road safety experts blame a lack of supervision by the authorities concerned, the highway police insist that the accident rate has declined thanks to a series of steps.
Husband, wife killed in Ashulia road accident
In Savar, A man and his wife were killed when a truck ran over them in Kathgora area of Ashulia on Tuesday.
The deceased were identified as Delwar Hossain, 40, and his wife Hasi Begum, 30, hailed from Singra upazila in Natore district.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Ashulia Thana AFM Syed said the accident occurred when the couple was heading towards the Bishmail area through Jirabo-Bishmail road riding on a motorcycle around 9:30 pm.
“At one stage, the couple fell on the road as the rider lost control over the bike in Kathgora area. Meanwhile, a speedy truck, coming from the opposite direction, ran over them, leaving the duo critically injured,” he added.
Being informed, police rushed to the spot and recovered them in critical condition. The couple was rushed to a local hospital where duty doctors declared them dead.
“The bodies of the deceased have been handed over to their relatives,” the OC said, adding that police seized the vehicle and tried to arrest its driver.
In Naogaon, another couple was killed and two others injured in a head-on collision between two motorcycles on the Naogaon-Bogura highway in Shahapur area under Sadar upazila of the district on Wednesday.
The deceased were identified as Anamul Haque, 40, resident of Raikali village under Akkelpur upazila of Joypurhat district and his wife Bristi Akhtar, 32.
The accident occurred in the area when the husband and wife with their children were going to Bogura from Naogaon riding a motorcycle. On the way, another speeding motorcycle coming from the opposite direction lost control and hit them and they fell on the road. Then a pickup van, coming from the behind, ran over them around 10:30am, leaving them dead on the spot and their five-year-old son and another motorcyclist injured, officer-in-charge (OC) of Naogaon Sadar Model Police Station Jahidul Haque said.
The injured were rescued and sent to Naogaon Sadar Hospital, he said.
Police and fire service personnel recovered the bodies from the spot.
Police seized both the motorcycles from the spot. A case was filed in this connection, the OC added.