What began as a journey to purchase mikes for a village mosque ended in tragedy when two elderly brothers were killed and two other individuals injured after a truck slammed into their battery-run auto-rickshaw in Rajshahi's Puthia upazila on Wednesday afternoon.
The deceased were identified as Abdul Khaleque Pramanik, 65, and his brother Hasen Pramanik, 60, sons of late Riaz Pramanik of Nakulbaria village in the upazila.
The injured are Lalon, son of Hatem, and Laltu, son of Jalal, of the same village.
Witnesses said the four men were travelling to Rajshahi in the auto-rickshaw to purchase mikes for their village mosque.
When the vehicle reached Baneshwar, a truck travelling towards Natore from the opposite direction crashed into it in front of the local Yamaha showroom, leaving Khaleque dead on the spot and three others injured.
Locals rescued the injured and took them to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, where Hasen Pramanik succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment.
Mahabur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Paba Highway Police Station, said the truck driver and his assistant fled the scene after the accident.
Police have seized the vehicle and initiated legal proceedings.