RANCHI: Nine people died in a road accident on the Jharkhand–West Bengal border while returning from a wedding procession in Purulia, West Bengal.
The incident took place on Friday morning when the car carrying them met with a horrific accident. Officer-in-charge of Neemdih police station, Santan Tiwari, confirmed the deaths of all nine occupants.
According to Tiwari, nine people travelling in a Mahindra Bolero died in a crash at Namshol under the Balrampur police station area of West Bengal, which borders the Chandil subdivision of Jharkhand’s Seraikela-Kharsawan district. All the deceased were returning from Tilaitan village (Neemdih) after attending a wedding procession.
Eyewitnesses said that as soon as the car carrying the wedding guests reached Namshol on the Chandil–Purulia National Highway, a speeding trailer coming from the opposite direction rammed into it head-on.
“The collision was so severe that the car was shattered, killing eight people on the spot. One critically injured person was rushed to hospital but later succumbed to injuries,” said an eyewitness on condition of anonymity.
Locals stated that the trailer was moving at a very high speed and the driver lost control at a turn. Following the accident, police from Balrampur and Chandil, along with administrative officials, rushed to the spot. The bodies were recovered from the mangled vehicle and sent for post-mortem.
Police have seized the trailer, but the driver fled the scene and is currently absconding. A search is on to trace him.
The local administration has assured all possible assistance and compensation to the victims' families.
The deceased have been identified as car owner Biru Mahato, Banka alias Chandramohan Mahato, Ajay Mahato, Vijay Mahato, Sapan Mahato, Gurupad Mahato, Shashank Mahato, Chittaranjan Mahato, and Munda alias Krishna Mahato. All were residents of Mahato Tola in Tilaitar village under the Neemdih police station area of Seraikela-Kharsawan district.