Kharagpur: As many as six people died and four others were severely injured after a lorry laden with cement hit vehicle pick-up van stationary on National Highway No. 16 in Kharagpur district of West Bengal on Saturday morning, officials said. It is learnt that the terrible road accident took place at Buramala under the Kharagpur police station limits.
Locals said that the accident took place on the national highway in front of Debra Toll Plaza in the West Midnapore district. On the occasion of Lakshmi Puja, the car workers were loading flowers in a pickup van to take them to Kolaghat at around 3 am on Saturday. Local sources said that about 10-12 workers were involved in the work when suddenly a cement-loaded lorry lost control and hit the back of the pick-up van.
"Flowers were being picked in 407 pick-up vans early in the morning where 10-12 workers were engaged in loading flowers in the van from Buramala to Kolaghat. At that time, suddenly a lorry loaded with cement came from behind and hit the pick-up van hard and went straight to Nayanjuli. Five workers died on the spot.
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One more died on the road while being taken to the hospital in a critically injured state. My brother was also injured. He is being taken to AIIMS for treatment,” Birendra Nath, brother of an injured person, said after the accident. Soon after getting the news, cops rushed to the spot. The police have started an investigation into the incident.
The tragic road accident cast a pall of gloom on the entire area. Local people and the police administration rushed to help shift the victims to the hospital. The injured ones were rescued and taken to the hospital for further treatment. The bodies of some of the deceased have already been taken to Kharagpur Hospital and others to Midnapore Hospital for post-mortem.
According to police sources, the houses of all those who lost their lives in the accident are in the Maqsudpur area under Kharagpur local police station limits.
