Death toll from Jhalakathi road crash rises to 15, truck driver held

The death toll from multiple vehicle crash involving a truck, a private car and an auto-rickshaw in Jhalakathi rose to 15 as two others succumbed to their injuries at Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital (SBMC).

Police detained the killer truck in this connection.

Jhalakathi Superintendent of Police Afrujul Haque Tutul confirmed the news.

Among the deceased, four were women, three children and seven men.

Meanwhile, Jhalakathi Deputy Commissioner Farah Gul Nijhum said a four-member investigation committee has been formed over the incident.

Earlier, 12 people were killed and several others injured after a truck ran through several vehicles, including an auto-rickshaw and a private car, before plunging into a roadside ditch near Gabkhan Bridge in Jhalakathi municipality area on Wednesday (April 17) afternoon.

The injured were later taken to different hospitals in the area.