At least eight construction workers were killed in a head-on collision between a truck and a pickup truck in South Surma, Sylhet. The accident occurred at around 6 am on Sunday (May 3) in the Telibazar area of the Sylhet-Dhaka highway.
Four of the deceased have been identified. They are Md. Suruj Ali (60) of Bhatipara village in Dirai upazila of Sunamganj, Md. Munni (35) of Sheshti village in the same upazila, Md. Badrul (30) of Lalargaon area of Jalalabad police station in Sylhet and Md. Faridul (35) of Nurnagar area of Dirai upazila. The identities of the remaining four have not been confirmed yet.
According to police sources, a few construction workers left Sylhet for Sunamganj in a DI pickup. On the way, the pickup collided head-on with a truck carrying timber bound for Chittagong in the Telibazar area of South Surma. Four people were killed on the spot. Later, the seriously injured were taken to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, where four more were declared dead.
Several other workers were seriously injured in the incident and are undergoing treatment in the hospital. According to doctors, some of them are in critical condition.
The injured include Md. Alamgir (32) of Chunarughat upazila of Habiganj, Torab Ullah (60), Ramin (40), Afroz Mia (40) of Sylhet Nagar, Rabu Akhtar (25) of Dharmapasha upazila of Sunamganj, Hafiza Begum (30) of Companiganj upazila and Raja Mia (45) of Dirai upazila.
Sylhet Metropolitan Police’s Southern Division Deputy Police Commissioner Md. Riazul Kabir said that the truck and pickup drivers fled after the accident. A drive is underway to identify and arrest them. At the same time, an investigation has been launched to uncover the real cause of the accident.