Speeding truck kills three, injures 7 including 3 minors

Ghaziabad: In a tragic road accident, three persons including a couple were killed while five other persons including three minor kids sustained critical injuries after the car they were travelling in, was hit by a speeding truck at Gang Canal Road in Niwadi area of Ghaziabad on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. Police suspect that the incident might have occurred after the truck driver got dozed off.

According to police, the deceased have been identified as Altaaf, his wife Zeenat and driver Naseem. Altaf was a native of district Bijnor but lived with his wife in Delhi from past 13 years and he worked at an IT company in Gurgaon, said police. Among the injured are Afsaan (4), Mousara (11), Mujji (6) and two persons travelling in the truck were also injured and they are identified as Shahrukh (25) and Waseem (20).

The incident took place around 12:40 am near Abupura village under the jurisdiction of Niwadi police station. "Police received information from passerby and upon reaching the spot we found that a truck had fallen into the Gang Canal after hitting a Maruti Ertiga Car in which around five to six persons including children were travelling. The intensity of the collision was such that the car was badly crushed and police had to use cutters to pull the victims out of the mangled car. Meanwhile, the truck driver and helper managed to flee from the spot and they are being traced," said Neeraj Kumar Jadaun, superintendent of police (rural), Ghaziabad.

The officer further said that the family was going to Bijnor to attend a wedding function. "Police took all the victims to nearby hospital for treatment where doctors declared Altaf and Naseem dead on arrival while Zeenat succumbed during treatment," the SP added.

Following the complaint received from victim's family members, police have registered an FIR under IPC section 279 (punishment for rash driving) and 304A (causing death due to negligence) against the unidentified truck driver.

Police on Tuesday morning also managed to pull out truck from the gang canal with the help of cranes. The road remained blocked for nearly three hours and the traffic was disrupted causing a traffic jam of nearly three kilometers.