At least nine people were burnt as unidentified miscreants hurled a petrol bomb at a sand-laden truck on Magura-Jessore highway in Magura this evening.

The arson attack took place around 7:45pm in Mugirdal area of Sadar upazila hours after announcement of a fresh spell of 72-hour countrywide hartal enforced by BNP-led 20-party alliance.

Miscreants hurled the petrol bomb at the truck when it was heading towards Magura from Mugirdal area, leaving nine people including its driver and helper injured, Sudarshan Roy, assistant superintendent of police in Magura, told our Kushtia correspondent.

The victims were taken to local hospitals in Magura and Jessore, the ASP added.

Victims Imran, 25, Farroque, 35, Nazmul Hasan, 35, Nousher, 40, Ilias, 40, Raushan, 30, Arab Ali, 35, Yeadul, 33 and Shakil, 32, were residents of Malikgram village of the upazila, reports our Jhenaidah correspondent.

Of them, Nazmul, Ilias, Arab Ali, Yeadul and Shakil sustained 40 to 60 percent burn injuries, Debashis Biswas, a doctor of Magur Sadar Hospital, told our Kushtia correspondent.

The five victims will be sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital immediately, said Jahangir Alam, officer-in-charge of Magura Sadar Police Station.

Meanwhile, truck driver Yunus, 55, who suffered burns in Daganbhuiyan of Feni on March 19, died at the DMCH this evening.

With the death, at least 89 people have been killed so far and over a thousand injured in the ongoing political violence that came up from the start of 2015, a year after the January 5 national polls.