Patna: Seven persons were killed and several others injured in a major road accident at Masaurhi in Patna district of Bihar late on Sunday evening. The accident occurred when a tempo, carrying labourers on their back home from work, collided head on with a truck on the highway near Noora Bridge.
Confirming the deaths, station house officer of Masaurhi police station Vijay Kumar told the media that the identities of those killed are yet to be ascertained. The driver of the truck has not been arrested.
According to locals, the stretch of highway in that area is extremely dangerous but the administration has taken no steps to prevent accidents, despite repeated requests. They blocked the road since the morning in protest.
“The impact was so immense that both vehicles fell into a waterbody next to the highway. Rescue was difficult in the dark and a crane had to be brought in. There were at least a dozen people on the tempo when the accident occurred. The toll is likely to go up,” a local said.
Senior police and administrative officials reached the spot to bring the situation under control. They assured locals that appropriate action will be taken to prevent such accidents in the future.