BETUL: Five labourers and a truck driver were killed after their vehicle loaded with iron rods fell off the Tava river bridge in Madhya Pradesh's Betul district, police said on Tuesday.
The accident took place on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday near Kathi village, located about 50 km from the district headquarters, an official said.
The truck crashed into the railings of the bridge and then fell into the Tava river bed, trapping five labourers under it, the official said.
The truck driver also died in the accident, Chopna police station in-charge Rahul Raghuwanshi said.
According to the police, the truck driver probably lost control over the wheels, causing the vehicle to crash into the bridge railings.
A crane was pressed into service to pull out bodies trapped under the truck.
The deceased were identified as Rikesh (25), Bablu Bhalavi (24), Dilip Uikey (26), Sanju Batke (40), Munna Salam (24) and driver Manohar Sahu (38), the official said.
The deceased labourers belonged to Pipri village in the district, he said.
The bodies were sent for post-mortem at Ghodadongri government hospital, he said, adding that a case was registered.