Truck fatally runs over five-year-old in Sylhet

Two people including a five-year-old girl died and one was injured in road accidents across two districts of the country yesterday.

The child died yesterday morning after she was run over by a truck in Sylhet-Bholaganj highway's Khagail area in Sylhet's Companiganj upazila.

She was identified as Bushra, daughter of Alim Uddin, a Saudi Arabia expatriate from Khagail village.

Protesting the incident, locals blocked the highway for around an hour and torched the truck on the highway but the driver managed to flee, said KM Nazrul Islam, officer-in-charge of Companiganj Police Station.

Siddikur Rahman, chairman of Dakshin Ranikhai union, said, "The child was crossing the highway with her grandfather at around 9am and suddenly the truck from Bholaganj approached with a high speed. The grandfather quickly moved away but the truck ran over the child."

OC Nazrul Islam said, "Police recovered the child's body and sent it to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital for autopsy. The driver is unidentified." No case was filed till yesterday afternoon.

Meanwhile, a woman was killed in a road accident on Panchagarh-Atwary road at C&B Intersection in Panchagarh Sadar Upazila yesterday.

The victim was identified as Dali Akhter (35).

Quoting locals, Officer-in-Charge of Panchagarh Police Station Abu Akkas Ahmed told this correspondent over cellphone that the accident occurred around 12pm when a Panchagarh-bound truck hit a motorbike from behind.

The bike's pillion fell on the road and died on the spot. The rider Omar Ali was critically injured, and is undergoing treatment at Panchagarh Sadar Hospital.

Locals intercepted the truck and handed the vehicle over to police later. The driver and helper fled the scene.