New Delhi: Eight labourers were killed and 32 others injured after the pick-up vehicle they were travelling in collided head-on with a truck in Madhya
Pradesh’s Bhind district early Tuesday, police said.
The accident took place around 1 am near Chhimka village on the Bhind-Gwalior National Highway. The labourers were returning to their village in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri after completing paddy transplantation work in Gwalior.
According to police, the accident happened when the driver of the pick-up vehicle tried to avoid cattle sitting on the highway. He reportedly lost control of the vehicle, which moved into the wrong lane and crashed into a dumper truck coming from the opposite direction.
Gohad Chauraha police station in-charge Ramnaresh Yadav said that the impact was severe and left the pick-up vehicle badly damaged. Several labourers were trapped inside following the collision.
5 labourers died on the spot
Police said eight labourers lost their lives in the accident. Five of them died at the scene, while three others succumbed to their injuries while being taken to hospital.
Thirty-two other workers were injured in the crash. After receiving information about the accident, police teams reached the spot and began rescue operations with the help of local residents.
Several injured workers were pulled out of the damaged vehicle and taken to a hospital in Gohad for immediate medical attention.
Seriously injured shifted to Gwalior
Doctors at the Gohad hospital provided first aid to the injured labourers. Those who were in a serious condition were later referred to Gwalior for further treatment, police said.
The victims had been working as agricultural labourers in Gwalior and were on their way back to their home district in Uttar Pradesh when the accident occurred.
Police are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash. The role of the road conditions, the presence of cattle and the movements of both vehicles will be examined as part of the probe.
The incident has once again highlighted the dangers faced by workers travelling long distances on highways, particularly during late-night hours.
