Ranchi: Seven people were killed when a speeding 18-wheeler truck ran over them late on Thursday night in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, the police said.
The accident occurred near the Jone-Ludru turn, before Poda, on the Karra-Torpa main road within the Karra police station area. The victims included four women and three children, as reported by NDTV.
The victims have been identified as Pako Devi, Kasila Devi, Manhu Devi, Golu Kumar, Anjali Kumari, Tuti Kumari, and 12-year-old Saurabh Nayak.
Khushbu Kumari, who was injured in the accident, is undergoing treatment at Khunti Sadar Hospital.
The victims were residents of a colony located near the Jone-Ludru turn, the police said.
Around 9.45 pm on Thursday, a scooter rider lost control and fell into bushes near a culvert close to the Jone-Ludru turn. After learning about the incident, local women and children gathered near the culvert to help and check on the rider
Meanwhile, a speeding truck coming from the Torpa side ran over the people standing along the roadside in which six people died on the spot.
The tragedy triggered chaos with people crying for help. Local residents informed the police and assisted in taking the injured to the hospital.
All the deceased and injured were taken to Khunti Sadar Hospital with the help of police and local residents.
The 12-year-old boy Saurabh Nayak also succumbed to his injuries during treatment around 11.15 pm on Thursday, raising the death toll to seven.
The driver of the truck (JH 02 AJ 1377) was under the influence of alcohol, locals claimed.
They said that the truck was reportedly coming from Torpa towards Karra at high speed and in a reckless manner.
During this time, it ran over people who were standing by the roadside. Following the accident, the driver and the helper fled the spot.