E-Paper
Truck runs over sleeping worker, 3 kids in Prayagraj; all dead
After the accident, the driver tried to flee the site with the dumper truck, but the vehicle got stuck in a pit and overturned.
A sand-laden dumper truck ran over a casual construction worker and his three children who were sleeping in the premises of an under-construction powerhouse of the railways near Leprosy Crossing in Naini on Wednesday morning. All four died on the spot.
After the accident, the driver tried to flee the site with the dumper truck, but the vehicle got stuck in a pit and overturned. The police took the driver into custody and sent the bodies for postmortem examination, officials said.
According to the police, construction work of a railway powerhouse is underway next to the underpass near Leprosy Crossing in Naini. Dozens of labourers are engaged in the work. Most of them live inside the under-construction premises by setting up temporary huts.
One of the labourers, identified as 40-year-old Chhotelal of Shankargarh, Prayagraj, was sleeping outside his hut with his three children — 13-year-old Sagar, 12-year-old Shabnam, and 10-year-old Sangam.
Around 3.30 am on Wednesday, a dumper truck loaded with sand reached the site. Due to darkness, the driver failed to spot Chhotelal and his children and ran them over.
After the accident, chaos ensued among other construction workers, who immediately assembled at the site. In panic, the dumper driver tried to flee with the vehicle, but the truck got stuck in a ditch and overturned. He was then caught by the labourers, informed SHO of Naini police station, Vaibhav Singh.
