ROAD MISHAP

Road mishap claims 11 lives in Dooars

 

COOCH BEHAR, May 14: A heart-rending road mishap claimed eleven lives of a same vehicle including its driver at Mendabari of Dooars under Kalchini police station area at about 10-45 a.m. today.

 

It was learnt that members of an adivasi family and their relatives from Newland Tea Estate were going to Madarihat for settlement of a marriage boarding a hired Maruti van. In the vehicle there were eleven passengers including the driver. The speeding vehicle met in a head-on-collision with a minibus near Mendabari on National Highway-31C. The Alipurduar bound minibus was coming with polling personnel from Jalpaiguri. Immediately after the collision the Maruti van caught fire. Five persons charred inside it.

 

Locals rushed to the spot and rescued four seriously injured passengers but they too died there. Remaining two persons were shifted to Alipurduar hospital. They died there. Among the killed four were women and two children. Identities of all of the victims are yet to be ascertained. Five were identified as Binod Sutradhar (driver), Karma Kujur, Binod Oraon, Agni Oraon and Andriya Oraon.

 

Fire caught the minibus too but its passengers left the vehicle quickly. On being informed fire service personnel and a large contingent of police from Kalchini and Alipurduar rushed to the spot and started rescue operation. Police seized both the ill-fated vehicles. Following the incident the vehicular traffic along NH-31C was disrupted for about an hour. []