14 killed in Jalpaiguri road accident

Darjeeling: Fourteen persons, including four children, were killed and 18 others injured in an accident in Jalpaiguri on Tuesday night. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have expressed condolences. Both the state and Centre have announced ex-gratia for the families of the deceased. The Bengal government will bear the cost of treatment of the injured.

Five vehicles of a marriage party were on their way to Dhupguri with two ahead of the other three. At around 9:30 pm when the three vehicles reached an area near the Jaldhaka bridge, owing to the dense fog, the vehicles unknowingly crossed over to the wrong side of the four-lane highway. The vehicle in front (a Magic van) had a head-on collision with a stone-laden dumper truck coming from the other side. The other two (Omni and Alto) hit the body of the truck which skid and overturned, trapping the two vehicles underneath. Stones spilled over the vehicles.

"Police and local residents pulled out the trapped passengers buried underneath the stone heap from the vehicles," stated Sumant Roy, ASP, Jalpaiguri. Most died on the spot. The injured were rushed to Jalpaiguri Super Specialty Hospital.