March 23, 2002	Saturday	Muharram 8, 1423

DHAKA, March 22: Four Bangladeshi army personnel have died in a road accident while taking part in a UN Mission in Sierra Leone, a defence ministry statement said here on Friday.

Two of the victims, including an officer, died instantly in Thursday’s accident when a jeep carrying five Bangladeshi troops crashed due to mechanical fault, the statement said.

Lieutenant Colonel Ashraf Uddin, who survived with serious injuries, was taken to a hospital in Dakar.

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who is in charge of the defence ministry, Friday sent a message offering condolences for the deaths and prayers for speedy recovery of the injured officer.

Bangladesh is a major contributor to US peacekeeping troops in Sierra Leone which was wracked by civil war for more than 10 years until a formal ceasefire was settled in January.—AFP