DHAKA: A festive journey turned into a tragedy early Monday morning when a truck carrying steel rods and passengers overturned and plunged into a bridge-side ditch in Bangladesh’s Tangail district, approximately 97 kilometers from the capital city of Dhaka.

The accident left at least 15 people dead and six others injured.

According to Mohammad Shamsul Alam Sarkar, the superintendent of police in Tangail, the incident occurred at around 4:30 a.m. local time.

All of the deceased were laborers or travelers riding atop the rod-laden cargo truck. They were heading to a northern district of Bangladesh to celebrate the upcoming Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, which is scheduled for May 28.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the driver lost control of the heavily loaded vehicle, causing it to veer off the road and crash into the ditch beside a bridge.

The six injured passengers were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Police are continuing to investigate the exact circumstances surrounding the crash.