PURNIA: As many as eight migrant labourers were crushed to death, while eight others were grievously injured, when an iron rod-loaded truck in which they were travelling met with a major accident on NH-57 on Monday morning. The truck was carrying 16 labourers and was on its way from Agartala (Tripura) to Jammu.
Bihar | Eight labourers died in Jalalgarh Police Station area of Purnia after a truck loaded with scrap lost balance and overturned here this morning. All the labourers belonged to Rajasthan. The truck carried 16 labourers and was going from Agartala (Tripura) to Jammu. pic.twitter.com/jZzJVww5tY
— ANI (@ANI) May 23, 2022
The accident occurred at the Kali temple under the Jalalgarh police station on the Siliguri-Delhi four lane National Highway 57 at 3.30 a.m. Speaking to news agency, Surendra Kumar Saroj, SDPO of Purnea (Sadar) said that all the 16 victims are natives of Rajasthan and eight of them died on the spot.
Seven deceased have been identified as Ishwar Lal, Basu Lal, Kaba Ram, Kanti Lala, Harish, Mani Lala and Dushyant, while the identity of the eighth has not been ascertained yet. All the labourers were residents of Khaurwarha in Rajasthan’s Udaipur.
“We have immediately initiated a rescue operation at the accident place and recovered the dead bodies. We have also rescued the injured persons and sent them to primary health centers. Their condition is stable now,” Saroj said.
“After the accident, the driver and helper managed to flee from the spot. Efforts are on to nab them,” Saroj said.
