BHOPAL & RANCHI: Eight migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh were killed in two accidents in Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand when two heavy vehicles packed with labourers lost control on highways. On Saturday night, a mango laden truck overturned on Saturday late night, killing five migrant workers and injuring 13 others in Narsinghpur district of Madhya Pradesh. All these labourers were headed home to Etah and Jhansi districts of Uttar Pradesh after they lost jobs in Hyderabad. Two are stated critical and have been referred to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College in Jabalpur district.
As one of the injured migrants has COVID-19 like symptoms, the rest were isolated after tests.
Madhya Pradesh has reported deaths of at least 10 migrant workers due to illness, heat stroke or in accidents in Madhya Pradesh. These victims were returning from Maharashtra and South India in trucks, by cycles or walking back in desperation to reach home
In Jharkhand’s Ramgarh district, three migrants, hiding inside a coal dust laden truck, were killed while a dozen others were left injured after the driver crashed onto a vehicle standing on the road side on Sunday. The truck was carrying more than 20 migrant workers who were desperate to return home after industries operating in Jamshedpur closed due to the lockdown.
With no earning option after industrial units were shut down, the group decided to return to Muzaffarpur and Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh. One of the injured migrants told the media that the driver had promised them to get through to their destinations safely and a cabin-like structure was made with wooden logs in between the coal dust in which all of them were accommodated.