Dhaka, July 11 (IANS) At least 43 school students were killed Monday when a truck carrying them overturned and plunged into a ditch in Bangladesh, officials said.


The accident took place in Mirsarai sub-district of Chittagong district, 240 km southeast of Dhaka, Xinhua reported.

Sayeed Kutub, chief executive officer of Mirsarai, said the truck, which was carrying over 50 students, plunged into the ditch when its driver lost control about 1.30 p.m.

The students were returning after taking part in a football tournament, he said.

Iftekhar Hossain, officer in charge of Mirsarai police station, said: "The rescue operation has been called off and we've listed the names of 43 deceased."

Hossain said hundreds of people, including senior government officials, held a mass funeral Monday evening for the deceased school children.

President Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina condoled the death of the students in the road accident, state news agency BSS reported.

The government has also constituted a committee to probe the accident.

A recent study by the Accident Research Centre of Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology said some 10,000-12,000 people are killed in road accidents in the country every year.