RANCHI: Four people were killed and more than 20 others injured when a speeding pick-up van overturned near the Bundu toll plaza on Thursday.
All the passengers were traveling from Biridih village under Arki Block to attend the Adivasi Janakrosh Rally at Tau Maidan in Bundu.
The pick-up was reportedly moving at high speed when the driver lost control, causing it to overturn. The vehicle was carrying women, men, and youth heading to participate in the rally.
According to eyewitnesses, the pick-up van was trying to overtake a bus when one of its front tires burst. Due to the high speed, the driver lost control, hit the bus, and the van overturned into a roadside ditch.
After receiving information, Bundu Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Om Prakash, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Kisto Kumar Besra, and local police rushed to the spot. With the help of locals, the injured were rescued and transported by ambulance to the Bundu Sub-Divisional Hospital.
According to SDM Besra, four people were killed, while 23 others were injured in the accident. Fifteen of the injured were referred to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi for treatment. The SDM admitted that the passenger vehicle was overloaded and assured that action would be taken against such violations.
Locals immediately joined the rescue operations, pulling out those trapped under the overturned vehicle and taking the injured to nearby health centres for first aid.
Given the seriousness of the incident, the Adivasi Janakrosh Rally scheduled at Bundu Tau Maidan has been postponed.
“Due to the sudden mishap in which four people lost their lives and several others were injured, we have postponed the ‘Jan Akrosh Rally’ that was scheduled for Thursday at Tau Maidan in Bundu,” said local tribal leader Puran Chand Munda.
