Surat: Thirteen migrant labourers and a year-old-girl from Rajasthan who were sleeping by the roadside in Gujarat’s Surat district were among 15 dead after a dumper truck ran over them Tuesday, police said.
Those killed include eight women and a migrant worker from Madhya Pradesh, police said. While 12 of them died on the spot, three died during treatment at a hospital, police added. Except for the 19-year-old worker from Madhya Pradesh, all the other deceased were from villages in Banswara district in south Rajasthan, police said.
The tragedy took place near Kosamba village, around 60 km from Surat, police said. The truck driver, who apparently lost control over the vehicle after hitting a sugarcane laden tractor, has been booked under sections of the IPC and Motor Vehicles Act, police said.
The truck driver and the vehicle’s ‘cleaner’ were also injured in the accident and are being treated at a hospital. The truck ran over the migrant construction workers on the Kim-Mandvi road shortly after midnight, Surat SP Usha Rada said.
The truck driver lost control over his vehicle after dashing against the tractor and veered off the road onto the pavement where the workers were sleeping, she said. “The truck was on its way to Mandvi from Kim. The driver lost control of the vehicle after it hit sugarcane hanging out of the tractor trolley coming from the opposite direction.
“The truck’s front window pane shattered on impact, which blocked the driver’s vision. The truck then veered off the road and crashed into the sleeping labourers,” she said. Three workers injured in the tragedy are being treated in a nearby hospital, the police official said.
The deceased were identfied as Rahul Mahida (19), Manisha Mahida (19), Vanita Mahida (17), Sangeeta Vasunia (27), Champa Panda (16), Naresh Panda (25), Rajila Mahida (25), Vikesh Mahida (27), Shakan Vasunia (21), Mukesh Mahida (25), Lila Mahida (22), Anita Mahida (40), Dilip Vasania (20), Shobha Vasania (23) and one-year-old girl Tejal Mahida.
Except for Rahul Mahida, a native of Madhya Pradesh, all other victims were from Rajasthan, police said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that ex-gratia of Rs two lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund would be given to the next of kin of each person killed in the accident and Rs 50,000 would be given to each injured.
“The loss of lives due to a truck accident in Surat is tragic. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. Praying that the injured recover at the earliest,” the PMO tweeted, quoting Modi. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani also announced compensation of Rs two lakh to the kin of each deceased.
Agencies