Cooch Behar: Two people were killed on the spot and two others seriously injured in a head-on collision between two trucks on the Mathabhanga–Siliguri State Highway near Ashokbari in Bairagirhat early Friday morning. Dense fog severely reduced visibility, leading to the accident.
Police said one truck was travelling from Mathabhanga to Cooch Behar, and the other from Cooch Behar to Changrabandha via Mathabhanga, when they collided head-on, mangling both vehicles. Both occupants of the Mathabhanga-bound truck died on the spot, including Amir Hossain of Sutkabari; the second victim is yet to be identified. Two people in the other truck were seriously injured. Local residents, along with police personnel, rescued the injured from the wreckage and rushed them to Mathabhanga Sub-Divisional Hospital.
The accident blocked traffic on the busy highway for several hours before police cleared the mangled trucks with a crane. Mathabhanga police have launched an investigation, and the bodies of the deceased will be handed over after post-mortem.