A truck crashed into a battery-run auto-rickshaw and ploughed through pedestrians before plunging into a roadside ditch at Chowrasta intersection of the district town on Monday, killing two people and injuring 16 others.

The deceased were identified as Halim, 30, of Khalilganj village, and Jubayer, 25, Togoraihat in Sadar upazila.

Mahfuzur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station, said the accident took place at noon when the driver of the Kurigram-bound truck from Nageswari lost his control over the steering, killing the duo on the spot.

On information, members of Fire Service, Red Crescent and police recovered the bodies and rescued the injured. Six of the injured were sent to Rangpur Medical College Hospital.