5 killed in road accident at West Midnapore

Kolkata: Four members of a family, including a woman, died in a fatal road accident that took place at Basantapur area under Kharagpur police station in West Midnapore on early Sunday morning. The driver of the car in which the victims were travelling in, was also killed in the accident taking the toll to five.

The police are yet to divulge the identity of the deceased. Police said that the four family members were all residents of Tomluk's Dharinda area. On their way to Kharagpur, the driver lost control of the vehicle and it turned turtle after hitting a roadside trailer from behind on National Highway 6.

Police suspect that the driver of the car might have fallen asleep at the time of the accident. Police have started a thorough probe into the incident.

Local people said that they heard a loud thud at around 5 am on Sunday. After reaching the spot, they found the car overturned in a roadside ditch with its frontal portion completely damaged. They heard the screams of some of the victims who were still alive then. The local people started the rescue operation before the police reached the spot. They rescued the injured passengers and sent them to the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital where four persons were declared brought dead. Another person later succumbed to his injuries. Police reached the spot and started a probe. Police came to know the family members were going on vacation. The nature of the accidents suggest that the car was at top speed when it rammed into a trailer and overturned. Police said that the driver lost control over the car after crossing the Debra toll plaza on National Highway 6.

In another accident, 25 persons were injured when two buses collided head on Digha-Midnapore state highway on Sunday morning. The victims were taken to a nearby hospital. Some of their conditions is stated to be serious.