E-Paper
Eight people killed in truck-pickup van collision on Jharkhand highway
Authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident, while efforts are underway to trace the truck driver.
Eight members of a musical band group were killed after a pickup van carrying them collided head-on with a coal-laden truck on the Ramgarh-Bokaro highway (NH-23) near Barlong late on Thursday night, police said.
The victims, returning from a Moharram-related programme, were travelling from Gola towards Ramgarh when the accident occurred on the busy highway, officials said.
Ramgarh superintendent of police Mukesh Kumar Lunayat said a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to determine the exact cause of the crash.
“A four-member SIT, including a member from the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), has been constituted to ascertain the exact reason behind the collision. Prima facie, it appears that the collision took place after a coal-laden truck was overtaking another truck, unaware of the pickup van coming from the opposite side. The truck driver could not be arrested so far. The truck owner has been identified. Further probe is on,” Lunayat said.
Police said preliminary findings suggest the truck may have entered the opposite lane while attempting to overtake another vehicle, leading to the head-on collision with the pickup van.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident, while efforts are underway to trace the truck driver.
Chief minister Hemant Soren expressed grief over the incident and extended condolences to the families of the victims.
“I am deeply saddened by the tragic news of the deaths of seven people in a road accident that occurred late last night near Lari-Barlong on the Ramgarh-Bokaro route. May Marang Buru grant peace to the souls of the departed and give the bereaved families the strength to bear this time of grief,” Soren said in a social media post.
