Jalpaiguri: Six tourists injured in gypsy crash en route to jungle safari

Jalpaiguri: Six tourists, along with the driver, sustained injuries in a road accident en route to a jungle safari on Thursday morning in Batabari under the Matiali Block. The injured individuals received treatment at Mal Super Specialty Hospital, with three of them reportedly discharged after primary treatment.

Subhadeep Ganguly, a tourist from Tamluk and one of the accident victims, stated: “I was in the gypsy at the time of the accident. I was discharged after receiving first aid. A group of 25 of us arrived from various districts of South Bengal at a private resort in Lataguri on Tuesday. On Thursday morning, we boarded four gypsies for a jungle safari. Six of us were in the gypsy involved in the accident. Dense fog enveloping the forest road obscured the driver’s vision, resulting in a collision with a tractor. The gypsy was severely damaged.”

Local residents and members of the Murti Gypsy Owners Association rescued the injured tourists, initially taking them to Mangalbari Rural Hospital in Chalsa and later to Mal Super Specialty Hospital.

Gypsy driver Biplab Roy, along with tourists Pradip Kumar Das, Budhaditya Ghosh, and Tapash Biswas, are currently receiving treatment at Mal Super Specialty Hospital. Police from Matelli Police Station rushed to the spot with news of the accident. Majidul Alam, member of the Murti Gypsy Owners Association, explained: “A government project is underway in the Batabari Dighi area, near the rainforest. This morning, a tractor was unloading sand on the side of the road. Due to dense fog, the gypsy driver, Biplab Roy, couldn’t see and collided with the tractor.”

A similar accident involving a tourist gypsy occurred on the same road last year, resulting in a fatality. Tourism industry stakeholders emphasise the need for increased surveillance on this forest road to prevent such unfortunate incidents.