DHAKA, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) — At least seven persons were killed and three others injured in a road accident Monday morning in Bangladesh’s Chittagong district, some 292 km southeast of capital Dhaka.

A police officer told Xinhua from Chittagong that the accident occurred when a rice laden truck lost control and fell into a roadside ditch at about 5:00 a.m. local time.

“The fatal road accident left seven persons dead on the spot and three others injured,” he said.

The police officer, who did not like to be named, said the bodies of the deceased were sent to hospital for autopsy while all the injured were admitted to nearby district hospitals.

He said truck driver and his assistant managed to flee the scene after the accident.

Bangladesh has one of the highest fatality rate for road accidents in the world. According to official statistics, thousands of people are killed in various accidents every year.