Two occupants of an auto-rickshaw died and four others were critically injured when the vehicle collided head-on with an SUV on NH17 near Cooch Behar town on Sunday morning.
The accident took place around 7.45am at Rajarhat-Kalitala, around 8km from the town, under the Pundibari police station limits.
Police said a Tata Punch SUV coming from the Khagrabari side collided head-on with a passenger auto-rickshaw travelling towards Khagrabari from Rajarhat. The impact left the auto-rickshaw completely mangled and damaged the front of the SUV.
“All six occupants of the auto-rickshaw, including the driver, were injured. Local residents rushed to the spot and shifted them to the Cooch Behar MJN Medical College and Hospital,” a police officer said.
Two of the injured succumbed to their injuries in the hospital on Sunday evening. Their identities are yet to be ascertained, said police sources. Hospital sources said the condition of the remaining four injured remained critical.
Traffic on the highway was briefly disrupted but later restored by the police.