A wedding reception took a tragic turn when two of four autorickshaws carrying the bride's family were hit by a truck near Gabkhan Bridge in Jhalakathi’s Sadar Upazila.

Some have died, and others are hospitalised with critical injuries.

The accident occurred around 2pm on Wednesday near the bridge’s toll plaza and claimed 14 lives, said Afruzul Haque Tutul, superintendent of Jhalakathi police.

A cement-bearing truck headed towards Jhalakathi town veered out of control and rammed three battery-operated autorickshaws and a car. The truck and the other vehicles then crashed into a nearby ditch.

The autorickshaws and the car crushed under the truck.

Eleven of the injured were admitted to Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital. Two of the victims died there. Others were taken to Jhalakathi Sadar Hospital in critical condition.

The dead include Md Ruhul Amin, 70, from Shorupkathi Upazila of Pirojpur and Md Shahidul Islam, 35, from Jhalakathi Sadar Upazila.

Rubel Hossain, 30, was among the people bound for the wedding reception. He was on one of the two vehicles that crossed the toll plaza earlier.

Rubel recounted, "We were heading to Chhagalkanda’s Shashir Hat for the wedding reception. Two autorickshaws had already crossed the bridge, while the other two were still at the toll plaza.

"The truck hit us from behind, causing the collision that resulted in the loss of two autorickshaws and two other vehicles. The driver lost control as the brakes failed, and the vehicle veered into a ditch."

Rubel said that three of their family members died, and seven others were injured.

He was not sure about the exact number of fatalities but suspected that some individuals might be trapped inside the vehicles.

Gabkhan resident Hemayet Uddin, the dead victim Amin’s son-in-law, stood beside the body at the Barishal hospital. He said that they lost five or six family members in the accident.

Jhalakathi resident Saidul Islam said that his brother, Shahidul, a person with a disability who used to beg in Gabkhan, also died in the accident.