Nine dead as bus collides with auto; state to give Rs 2L each to next of kin

KOLKATA: In another incident of reckless driving as many as nine persons were killed in a tragic road accident at Mallarpur in Birbhum on Tuesday afternoon after a West bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) bus collided head-on with an auto on the National Highway (NH)-60, commonly known as Ranigunj-Morgram road.

State Transport minister Snehaish Chakraborty announced an ex-gratia of Rs two lakh each for the family members of the deceased. He said: "Family members of those who die in road accidents get an ex-gratia of Rs two lakh as per our policy. The amount will be handed over to the family members as soon as possible."

According to sources, on Tuesday afternoon eight women were returning home after agricultural work in the Gourbazar area near Mallarpur riding an auto along the NH-60. While the auto was moving towards Rampurhat, a WBTC bus was heading towards Suri from Rampurhat. Near Telda village, the bus allegedly came in front of the auto suddenly and a head-on collision took place. The bus was allegedly running at a high speed. After the collision the auto got stuck under the front bumper and it was dragged for a few metres before the bus came to a screeching halt.

According to the locals, the driver of the bus jumped out from his cabin and ran away. Local people present at the site of the incident informed the police. They also tried to rescue the injured passengers of the auto but failed as they got stuck inside it. Later with the help of local people, cops rescued the passengers and the auto driver, however, by the time the passengers could be brought out of the auto it was too late as all of them had died then.

Nagendra Nath Tripathi, Superintendent of Police, Birbhum, said: "A head-on collision took place between an auto and a bus. The driver of the bus has managed to flee. Exact cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained. A probe has been started."