At least 42 Bangladeshi schoolboy football fans die in cargo truck

Youngsters aged 8-12 are killed when truck bringing them home from a soccer tournament overturns into canal A cargo truck packed with schoolchildren returning home from a football tournament crashed into a canal in south-east Bangladesh, killing at least 42 people. About 60 children aged from eight to 12 were on board. The death toll may rise as more bodies are feared to be trapped inside the sunken vehicle. Rescuers recovered 42 bodies from the wreckage in Chittagong district, 136 miles (216km) south-east of the capital, Dhaka. It was not clear if the driver was among the dead. Troops joined the rescue teams, and doctors from nearby towns were deployed to help treat the survivors. “According to several witnesses the boys were singing and dancing on board the truck,” said a police spokesman. “The truck skidded off the muddy road and turned [over] as it plunged into the canal.” Angry residents vandalised some vehicles nearby, complaining that the rescuers were late to reach the scene. In Bangladesh it is common practice to hire cargo trucks to carry large groups during festivals or celebrations. Bangladesh guardian.co.uk

Posted by on July 11, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.