Delhi: Overcrowded auto hit by dumper; 2 killed, pregnant woman miscarries

Delhi: Overcrowded auto hit by dumper; 2 killed, pregnant woman miscarries

New Delhi, Two men were killed, and five others sustained injuries after a dumper truck collided with an autorickshaw in northeast Delhi's Sonia Vihar area early Thursday, while a six-month pregnant woman travelling in the three-wheeler suffered a miscarriage, police said.

Delhi: Overcrowded auto hit by dumper; 2 killed, pregnant woman miscarries

Police, in their statement, said that two persons identified as Satbir and one unidentified person had died in the accident.

The Delhi Fire Service , however, had reported earlier in the day that two persons and a six-month-old infant girl were declared brought dead at the hospital.

The accident took place near Pusta No. 5 around 5.20 am. The 25-year-old pregnant woman was travelling in the autorickshaw with her husband Raja when the collision occurred.

"She suffered a miscarriage following the accident and is undergoing treatment at Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital," a senior police officer said.

Police received information about the accident at 5.9 am and rushed a team to the spot. "Upon reaching the spot, the police team found an autorickshaw and the offending vehicle, a dumper, involved in the accident," a senior police officer said.

A total of eight people, comprising five men, two women and a six-month-old girl, were shifted to Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital for treatment.

"During treatment, two persons, identified as Satbir and one unidentified person, were declared brought dead by the attending doctors. The remaining injured persons, namely Moni , wife of Satbir, their six-month-old daughter, Rameshwar Dayal , one unidentified person, Raja and his wife, Rakhi , are undergoing treatment at JPC Hospital," the officer said.

The five injured persons are receiving medical treatment at the hospital. Their condition was not immediately known.

The Delhi Fire Service received information about the accident and dispatched two water tenders and a quick response vehicle to the spot. An incident response team was also mobilised.

However, the injured had already been taken to the hospital by locals and a police control room vehicle before the arrival of the fire department teams, a DFS officer said.

The forensic team inspected the accident site and collected vital clues as part of the investigation. A case is being registered at the Sonia Vihar police station. Police have formed teams to identify, trace and apprehend the dumper driver, who fled after the collision.

"We have potential leads about the whereabouts of the accused driver, and he will be arrested soon. Further investigation into the matter is in progress," the senior police officer said.

Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra told PTI that he received information about the accident in the morning and immediately reached the spot.

"It is a very unfortunate and tragic incident. A vehicle collided with an auto-rickshaw carrying eight people. Three people lost their lives in the accident. A pregnant woman was also among those travelling in the vehicle," he said.

He noted that the tragedy once again raises serious concerns about road safety. "We often see people driving autos with more passengers than the permitted capacity. Overloading, reckless driving and uncontrolled speed can have fatal consequences. Innocent people end up paying the price for such negligence," he said.

He further said that the road where the accident occurred is a double-lane road, and residents of Sonia Vihar have repeatedly raised concerns about accidents on this stretch.

"The road needs to be widened. It should be developed into a four-lane road to ensure smoother traffic movement and improve safety. The project design has already been approved, and the responsibility for its execution has been assigned to the PWD. The process is underway, and the road will be developed," Mishra assured.

The minister urged people to exercise caution until the infrastructure is upgraded. "I appeal to all residents and commuters in Delhi to follow traffic rules and exercise restraint while driving. A little caution can save precious lives," he said.

Pankaj, a local, alleged that illegal autos and other commercial vehicles were operating openly in the area despite lacking valid documents, fitness certificates, permits and other mandatory requirements.

"Such accidents have happened earlier as well. The traffic police officers are responsible for allowing these vehicles to operate," Pankaj alleged.

He claimed that at least 50 illegal autos were operating in the area, including vehicles bearing private registration numbers, without proper documents, fitness certificates, licences or uniforms.

"These vehicles are being driven illegally. When someone complains, the police conduct checks for a day or two, but after a few days, the same vehicles return to the roads," he alleged.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.