DHAKA, Bangladesh

The death toll from a head-on collision late Saturday between a truck and van in southeastern Bangladesh rose to 15 when three more wounded succumbed to their injuries.

“12 passengers in the van were killed on the spot and four critically injured were admitted to the hospital. Three of them died today late night,” Lohagara police station chief Zakir Hossain Mahmud told Anadolu Agency on Sunday.

He added that the condition of the remaining injured person is stable, but not out of danger.

Citing eyewitnesses and a preliminary investigation, he said: “The cars were moving at high speed from opposite sides during the terrible accident.”

The accident occurred at around 9:30PM (0330GMT) in Chittagong, a remote area some 300 kilometers southeast of the capital Dhaka.

Road accidents are one of the top causes of deaths in Bangladesh, with at least 4,628 people killed in 2019 across the country, according to a reporters group.