Pickup van mows down 6 sanitation workers on Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, 5 injured
Workers were doing their routine maintenance work along the high-speed corridor. The collision was so severe that the bodies were mutilated and scattered across the accident site
Nuh: Six sanitation workers were killed and five others critically injured on Saturday morning after a speeding pickup van ploughed into them while they were cleaning the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway near Ibrahim Bas village in Firozpur Jhirka, police said.
The driver of the pickup van fled leaving the vehicle at the spot on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway near Ibrahim Bas village in Firozpur Jhirka, police said.
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The incident took place around 10 am when the workers were engaged in routine maintenance work along the high-speed corridor. The driver of the pickup van fled leaving the vehicle at the spot.
The impact of the collision was so severe that the bodies of the deceased were mutilated, with body parts scattered across the accident site, spokesperson of Nuh Police Krishan Kumar said. “Our teams have collected the body parts and are currently identifying which part belongs to which victim,” Kumar added.
The injured were taken to Mandi Khera hospital where they are undergoing treatment. “Preliminary investigation suggests that five of the deceased were residents of Kheri Kalan village, while one was from Jhimrawat village,” a senior police officer said, adding that identification process is still on.
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The cause of the accident is being investigated. “The circumstances leading to the accident will be thoroughly ascertained with the help of CCTV footage and other available evidence. The injured workers are currently undergoing treatment at the hospital, and investigations are being conducted from all possible angles,” said station house officer (SHO) of Ferozepur Jhirka police station Aman Singh said.
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The cause of the accident is being investigated. “The circumstances leading to the accident will be thoroughly ascertained with the help of CCTV footage and other available evidence. The injured workers are currently undergoing treatment at the hospital, and investigations are being conducted from all possible angles,” said station house officer (SHO) of Ferozepur Jhirka police station Aman Singh said.
The police is investigating and said a case will be registered once the formal identification and preliminary inquiry is complete.
The pickup van, reportedly travelling from Delhi towards Alwar at high speed, lost control before ramming into the workers.
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The accident highlights the urgent need for stricter enforcement of speed regulations and improved safety measures for workers deployed on high-speed expressways.
Police teams are deployed at the site to manage the situation and assist with the recovery operations.
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest.
Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents.
Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure.
Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing.
Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity.
Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations.
Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling.
A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.
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