Three unloading luggage from bus on NH 48 mowed down by speeding truck

Three people, who had disembarked from a bus at their stop at Mahipalpur in southwest Delhi, were mowed down by a speeding truck in the early hours of Monday on National Highway 48

New Delhi

The damaged portion of the bus. (HT)

Three people, who had disembarked from a bus at their stop at Mahipalpur in southwest Delhi, were mowed down by a speeding truck in the early hours of Monday on National Highway 48 while they were in the process of removing their luggage from the storage compartment of the bus, police said.

The victims were identified as Kanta Devi, 50, her daughter-in-law Nidhi, 19, and bus helper Abhishek Singh, 19. The passengers came from Etawah in Uttar Pradesh and were on their way to their house in Mahipalpur around 4.45am, when the incident took place. Singh was from Farrukhabad in UP and had been working for a private interstate bus service for the past few months.

“We received a PCR call at 4.45am about a fatal accident. The staff rushed to the spot, which was in front of Lohmod Hotel on NH 48 (towards Gurugram) where two vehicles — a truck and a bus were found in accidental condition. Three dead bodies were also found at the spot. Further, one person was found stuck in the driver’s seat of the offending truck,” Surender Choudhary, deputy commissioner of police (southwest), said.

Police said the truck driver, identified as Tofeeq Sohrab, 25, also sustained injuries. He was admitted to Safarjung Hospital for treatment. A case of rash driving and causing death by negligence was also lodged against him, they said.

Police said they would check if the driver was intoxicated or fell asleep while driving. They suspect he was speeding and could not see the parked bus in the dark. The impact of the accident was such that the back portion of the bus and the front portion of the truck were damaged.