At least three people were killed and 15 others injured in a head-on collision between a passenger bus and a sand-laden truck in Shahrashti upazila of the district this morning.

The accident occurred around 8.00am in Baniyachong area on the Chandpur-Cumilla regional highway. The identities of the deceased and injured could not be confirmed immediately.

According to police and local sources, a passenger bus of Al-Arafah Paribahan, travelling from Noakhali to Jashore, collided head-on with a sand-carrying truck coming from the opposite direction.

The front portions of both vehicles were badly mangled in the collision, leaving several passengers trapped inside the bus.

The injured were rescued and taken to Shahrashti Upazila Health Complex.

Shahrashti Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Aklima Akter told BSS that 15 injured people had been brought to the hospital from the accident site. Three of them were in critical condition and were referred to Cumilla Medical College Hospital after receiving initial treatment.

Shahrashti Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mir Mahbubur Rahman told BSS that three bodies had so far been recovered from the accident site. At least 15 people were injured.