The accident occurred at around 3am on Thursday (5 November), when the truck struck two auto-rickshaws parked beside the road before mounting the pavement.
The deceased were identified as Md Jahangir Poddar, 40, and Md Zakir Hossain, 50. Both men were reportedly waiting for passengers at the roadside when the accident took place.
According to eyewitness accounts and hospital sources, the truck suddenly lost control and ploughed into the two auto-rickshaws. The impact left three people injured, including the two drivers. The truck subsequently veered off the road and came to a stop on the pavement.
Local people rushed to the scene and helped rescue the injured before taking them to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Doctors examined the victims and declared Jahangir Poddar dead at around 4.25am. Zakir Hossain was admitted to the hospital for treatment but later succumbed to his injuries while receiving medical care. The third injured person also received treatment at the hospital.
Zakir Hossain was the son of Jinnat Ali and originally hailed from the Ajmiriganj upazila of Habiganj district. He had been living in the Paker Math area of Mohammadbagh in Kadamtali.
Jahangir Poddar was the son of Shah Alam Poddar and came from Patuakhali Sadar upazila. He lived in the Shyampur area of Dhaka.
Confirming the incident, Sub-Inspector Md Jamal Hossain of Kadamtali Police Station said the truck involved in the accident had been seized by the police. However, its driver fled the scene immediately after the crash.
Police are making efforts to identify and arrest the driver, he added.
The bodies of the two deceased drivers have been kept at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for post-mortem examinations.
Hridoy, a colleague of Jahangir Poddar, said three people had initially been injured in the accident. Two of them subsequently died, while the remaining injured person received medical treatment.
The incident has once again drawn attention to the risks faced by drivers and other road users in busy parts of Dhaka, where heavy vehicles, public transport and smaller three-wheelers frequently share limited road space. Auto-rickshaw drivers often wait beside roads for passengers, leaving them particularly vulnerable when larger vehicles lose control.
Accidents involving heavy vehicles can have devastating consequences, especially when drivers lose control near roadside vehicles or pedestrians. Determining the circumstances behind such incidents, including the cause of the truck losing control, will be important for establishing responsibility.
With the truck already seized, the next step for the authorities is to locate the driver and investigate the circumstances surrounding the collision. The two deaths have left their families and colleagues mourning a sudden loss, while the condition of the surviving injured person remains a matter of concern.
