The Tata 407 that overturned on the Park Circus connector off Tangra on Tuesday morning, killing three people. Picture by Pradip Sanyal

Rash driving killed three persons and left eight injured in different parts of the city on Tuesday.

The first of the mishaps occurred near the entrance to Tangra, along the Park Circus connector, around 4.30am. Two persons in a Tata 407 carrying workers engaged by a contractor died when the speeding vehicle hit the edge of the pavement and overturned.

In a coincidence, a Tata 407 was also involved in the second fatal accident of the day in which a 32-year-old woman, Anindita Sur, died at Paharpur. She was riding pillion on brother-in-law Deepak Sur’s two-wheeler when a Tata 407 hit them.

Anindita was flung a few metres away by the impact of the collision. Deepak was injured, too. The duo were taken to SSKM Hospital, where Anindita succumbed to her injuries.

An officer at the Parama Investigation Centre said about the Tangra accident: “It appears that the van was being driven too close to the concrete pavement while heading towards Parama. After overturning, the vehicle fell into a shallow drain full of effluents from the adjoining tanneries.”

Alerted by the sound of the vehicle overturning, a police team on night patrol reached the site and found the seven occupants of the Tata 407 in the drain and trapped under the vehicle.

“By the time we pulled out all the workers, the duo at the bottom of the heap were gasping for life. We immediately took all seven to National Medical College, where two of them died. They were identified as Bijoy Rajbangshi and Labkush Rajbangshi, both in their thirties,” the officer said.

A rash driving case was filed against the driver.

Some tannery owners said the absence of traffic policemen at the Tangra crossing had turned the stretch into an accident-prone zone.

The third accident of the day occurred on Budge Budge Trunk Road, in Mahestala. A couple, Nizam Khan and Asma Bibi, were hit by a Matador while walking down Budge Budge Trunk Road around 9.30am. Witnesses said the van, being driven at breakneck speed, knocked down the couple while trying to overtake another vehicle. A crowd waylaid the van but the driver fled. The injured couple were taken to Vidyasagar Hospital in Behala.