Four killed, 1 injured after car collides with truck

Kolkata: Four persons were killed and one injured when a car collided head on with a truck.

The accident occurred on Purulia-Borakar road near Lipania-Bodashini area on Monday morning.

The accident caused traffic congestion in the area for nearly an hour. The victims have been identified as Chiranjit Kundu (32), Sujit Mondal (34), Tapan Bhattacharya (32) and Sujay Das (32). They were residents of Asansol in West Burdwan.

Police said the victims went to attend a marriage ceremony at Purulia town on Sunday evening.

They started off from Purulia town on early Monday morning to return home. According to the investigation, police came to know that they rented a Tata Indica car from Asansol. While they were returning home they met with a fatal road accident as the car hit a speeding truck coming from the opposite direction.

Eyewitnesses told police the car was running at a top speed as a result of which it fell at a distance after it hit the truck.

Some locals rushed to the spot after hearing a loud thud. They took part in the rescue operation. The victims were brought out of the mangled portion of the car and were rushed to Deben Mahato Sadar Hospital where four of the victims were declared brought dead. The injured person was later shifted to a private hospital as his condition deteriorated.

According to the district police, the health condition of the injured person was stated to be critical. After being informed police reached the spot and seized the truck and the car. The traffic movement also resumed.

The truck driver and the helper fled the spot immediately after the accident leaving the vehicle at the accident site.

Police have started a detailed probe. They are yet to ascertain the exact cause of the accident. The investigating officers are examining if the driver of the car had fallen asleep at the time of the accident or the car had developed any technical glitch.

Preliminary investigation suggests that the car changed its lane which might have led to the accident. Raids are being conducted to nab the truck driver.