2 Bengal migrant workers killed, 14 injured in road accident in Bihar

Bihar Police said the labourers were heading home from Punjab to destinations in West Bengal after harvesting the wheat crop.

At least two migrant labourers were killed and 14 others were injured in a road accident in Bihar’s Gopalganj district in the early hours of Wednesday. The accident brought the traffic between Gorakhpur and Gopalganj to a halt for about two hours, said police.

The impact of the road accident left the minibus mangled and the bodies mutilated. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A minibus carrying migrant workers collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction on National Highway-27 at Pyarepur village, falling under Barauli police station at around 3am, said the police.

Police said the labourers were heading home from Punjab to destinations in West Bengal after harvesting the wheat crop. The minibus was hit by the truck at a high speed, killing two workers on the spot. The impact left the minibus mangled and the bodies mutilated.

“Fourteen others including the driver, who sustained injuries in the accident, were immediately shifted to sadar hospital for treatment. All of them hailed from West Bengal,” said Gopalganj superintendent of police (SP) Anand Kumar. The Barauli police registered a case, and the bodies were shifted to Sadar hospital for post-mortem.

Police said their preliminary investigation suggested that the driver of the minibus lost control and the vehicle first crashed against the road median and then rolled to the other side of the road, hitting the speeding lorry, the official said.

Bihar excise and prohibition minister Sunil Kumar, who also hails from Gopalganj district, expressed shock at the deaths and asked the district authorities to ensure best possible treatment to the injured.