Five killed in two separate road mishaps in state

Kolkata: Four persons including a woman were killed when the pickup van they were traveling in was hit by a speeding truck at East Burdwan's Raina on Wednesday morning.

Five other passengers were injured in the accident that occurred on Gournga Road at Raina. The injured passengers are undergoing treatment at Burdwan Medical College and Hospital.

Police said the pickup van was going to Burdwan from Raina with around 10-12 passengers. All the passengers were mainly vegetable sellers who were going to buy vegetables at Polempur near Burdwan. When the pick van was crossing Gouranga road, a speeding truck coming from the opposite direction lost control and hit it. The pickup van was badly damaged in the accident.

The local residents rushed to the spot after hearing about the accident. They rescued the injured passengers and sent them to the Burdwan Medical College and Hospital where four passengers were declared brought dead. The deceased have been identified as Ashoke Poddar (42), Badalchandra Dutta (50), Namprasad Nayek and Sagarika Singha (55).

The truck driver fled the spot leaving the vehicle at the place of the accident. Police later seized the vehicle. They were also conducting raids to nab the culprits. The local residents told the police that the truck was at a top speed as a result of which the truck driver lost control over the vehicle. The accident led to traffic congestion in the area. Police brought the situation under control.

In another incident, a school student was killed after being hit by a pickup van on National Highway 31 on Wednesday morning. The incident took place in North Dinajpur's Chopra. The local residents put up road block at the Chopra following the accident. The victim has been identified as Md Arman. The accident occurred when he was trying to cross the road.