The deceased were identified as Sakib, 19, son of Ajgar Ali, Rashedul, 25, son of Abul Kalam Azad, and Ashik, 22, son of Amjad Hossain.
Also read:3 killed in Cumilla road crash
Officer-in-Charge of Hatikumrul Highway Police Station, Shahjahan Ali said that the Nagarbari-bound truck hit the auto-rickshaw in the Hailaghati area after its driver lost control of the vehicle, killing the trio on the spot.
Police have seized the truck, but its driver and his assistant managed to flee, he said.
A case will be lodged at the police station, he added.
Also read:Sylhet road crash leaves 7 dead
Road accidents in Bangladesh
Road accidents in Bangladesh continue to claim hundreds of lives every year.
At least 484 people were killed and 673 injured in 427 road accidents in January this year.
According to Road Safety Foundation (RSF), accident rates jumped by 25.58 percent and fatalities by 8.76 percent in January this year compared to the same period last year.
At least 445 lives were lost in 340 road accidents in January 2020, according to RSF.
Also read:5 killed in Kushtia road crash
In a report released in February 2020, the World Bank said that Bangladesh needed to invest an estimated extra $7.8 billion over the next decade to halve its road crash fatalities.
The report attributed the high death rate on Bangladesh’s roads to lack of investments in systemic, targeted, and sustained road safety programmes.