12 killed, 28 injured in series of mishaps

While six persons were killed in Howrah district, four died in another road tragedy in Birbhum, police said. Two other road deaths were reported in Murshidabad district.

In the first accident, six persons returning from the famed Kali (Tara) temple in Tarapith, were killed at Dhulagarh in Howrah when a stonechip-laden truck overturned on National Highway 6 early this morning, police said.

The locals extracted the bodies from under the heap of stone chips and one injured was rushed to Gabberia hospital with serious wounds.

All the victims, aged between 20 and 30 years, had boarded the truck on return from Tarapith where they had gone to offer puja.

In Birbhum's Deucha, four pilgrims, returning from Tarapith as well, were killed when their speeding small car rammed into a trailer on a river bridge on NH, police said.

The car had to be extricated from the back side of the ten-wheeler and the five occupants were brought out from the twisted metal heap with the help of gas cutters.
While three had already died, one succumbed at Suri Hospital and the fifth was being treated at the hospital in critical condition.

The victims hailed from Sodpur in North 24 Parganas district and were identified as Biswajit Biswas, Alok Das, Alok Roy and Krishna Das, all within the age group of 30-40 years.

In a separate accident, two persons were killed when their car hit a truck at Mankara on NH 34 in Murshidabad district today, police said.

Among those killed were Soma Roy, the daughter of the inspector in-charge of Kandi police station, Jyotipriyo Roy. The driver of the car was also killed.

Police sub-inspector Harif Ali Khan, who was travelling in the car, was injured. He was rushed to Berhampur New General Hospital, where his condition was stated to be serious.

In city southern fringes of Joka, falling under South 24 Parganas district, 25 bus passengers were injured when the vehicle overturned while trying to overtake another bus at high speed, police said.

While most of the passengers were discharged after first aid, the others were taken to Vidyasagar Hospital for treatment.