15 killed as truck carrying iron rods overturns in Bangladesh

At least 15 people were killed and 10 others injured early Monday when a truck carrying iron rods and passengers overturned on a major highway in central Bangladesh, according to local police. The crash occurred around 5 a.m. in the Soratoil area of Tangail district, approximately 83 kilometers northwest of the capital, Dhaka.

Police chief Fuad Hossain said the driver lost control of the vehicle, which was carrying hitchhiking passengers. The truck was traveling from Dhaka to the northern region as people began journeying home for the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha, which falls on Thursday. The 15 victims were pronounced dead at the scene, Hossain said. The identities of the deceased and injured, many of whom were crushed under the iron rods and wheels, could not be immediately confirmed.

Most of the passengers were day laborers traveling to join their families for the holiday, according to the police chief. Witnesses told local television stations that they rushed to the scene after hearing the crash and began rescuing trapped passengers.

Photographs from the scene showed the truck on its side, with a group of people standing nearby. The vehicle did not appear to have sustained...