4 dead in 3 separate road accidents

Four persons were killed in three separate road accidents in South Bengal districts in the past 24 hours.

Two persons were killed and two others injured in a road accident in which two heavy trucks collided head-on at National Highway 6 at Bigha in Bankura on the wee hours on Sunday.

Police said the victims are yet to be identified. Preliminary investigation revealed that the one of the ill-fated trucks was from Uttar Pradesh while the other was from Andhra Pradesh.

After speaking to locals, who were witness to the accident, police came to know that both the trucks were at very high speed and they suspect that the incident took place as drivers of both the vehicles had fallen asleep. One of the trucks was heading towards Bankura from Durgapur while the other was heading towards Durgapur.

A cops added that there was a sharp turn where the accident took place and according to an eye witness, driver of the Durgapur-bound truck couldn't control the vehicle when he suddenly found another truck approaching from the opposite direction after taking the sharp bend.

The trucks turned after the collision and the front portion of both the vehicles were badly damaged.

Locals initiated the rescue work, later to be joined by policemen and officers of the disaster management group.

They cut a portion of one of the trucks to bring out the driver and the helper. They were rushed to a local hospital along with the two injured persons who were admitted for treatment while two, who had severe injuries, were declared brought dead.

The incident led to traffic congestion on the national highway. Police engaged cranes to remove the trucks and it took hours for the local policemen to clear the congestion on the thoroughfare.

In another road accident, a person was killed after being hit by a truck that was heading towards Digha in East Midnapore. Police said the truck had lost control and rammed against a tree. The police have identified the victim as Patal Rao. The driver and helper of the truck managed to flee.

A truck driver, identified as Shyamal Mondol, was killed in Nadia after his vehicle hit a wall.