Nine people died in a head-on collision on National Highway 18 in West Bengal’s Purulia district on Friday morning. The accident, near Namsol Primary School in the Balarampur police station area, involved a car carrying nine passengers and a truck which was reportedly being driven at a high speed.
“We have registered a case of rash driving. The truck driver fled from the spot. We are trying to trace him,” DSP (Headquarters) Nirmal Das told The Indian Express.
According to officials, a Bolero car was traveling from Purulia to Jharkhand when it was hit by a truck coming from the opposite direction. The impact completely wrecked the car, and both vehicles reportedly overturned. All nine occupants of the Bolero were rushed to the nearest health centre, where doctors pronounced them dead. The police have taken the truck into custody and have launched an investigation.
Eight of the deceased have been identified as Biru Mahato, Ajay Mahato, Vijay Mahato, Swapan Mahato, Gurupad Mahato, Shashank Mahato, Chitta Mahato, Krishna Mahato, all residents of Tilai Tand village in Lakadi under Neemdih police station. The ninth victim, Chandramohan Mahato, was a resident of Raghunathpur, also under Neemdih police station. Sources said they were returning home to Jharkhand after attending a wedding ceremony in Purulia.
The accident follows another road accident a day ago in Howrah district. “Three persons died and several people were injured. A private bus, operating on the Bagnan-Shyambazar route, left the Bagnan bus terminus approaching the Library More on NH-16, and was attempting to move towards the Kolkata-bound lane when it was hit by a Kolaghat-bound truck,” said an official of Howrah.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari took to X on Friday: “My heart goes out to the families of the victims who tragically lost their lives in the two consecutive horrific road accidents; yesterday in Bagnan; Howrah district and today at Balarampur; Purulia district.”
He blamed the “alarming deterioration of road safety standards in West Bengal under the supervision of the West Bengal police, which falls directly under the purview of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.”