Three youths were killed in an accident caused by dense fog on NH31C in Alipurduar on Saturday morning.
Of the three deceased, two were cousins.
According to police sources, a car travelling from Hasimara collided head-on with a truck carrying a JCB that was coming from Assam around 6am.
The accident took place near Garambusty, close to Alipurduar town, said the police.
The car driver, Raju Mandal, 31, a resident of Shantinagar in the town, died on
the spot.
Two other occupants of the car, Manojit Biswas, 32, and his cousin Souvik, 35, both residents of Sankosh in Kumargram, suffered critical injuries and were rushed to Alipurduar district hospital. They later succumbed to
their injuries.
The police said the accident occurred near a curve on NH31C because of high speed and poor visibility caused by dense fog. The car was
severely damaged in the collision, while the truck veered
off the road and came to rest in a crop field beside
the highway.
Hearing the crash, local people rushed to the spot and informed the police. Personnel from the Nimati police outpost arrived promptly and took the injured to the hospital.
A homeless woman suffered injuries in a separate fog-related accident on the same highway. She was taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment.
Khandbahale Umesh Ganpat, the superintendent of police of Alipurduar, said: “Poor visibility because of dense fog appears to be the cause of the accident. We regularly conduct awareness drives early in the morning, urging drivers to be cautious, but a section of people is still driving recklessly, which is leading to such accidents.”
Rickshaw tips over
Two passengers in an e-rickshaw suffered multiple injuries when the vehicle turned on its side in Bhangar around 9.30am on Friday.
Muslima Bibi, 21, and Farida Sardar, 34, were taken to Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital, police said. The e-rickshaw driver was later arrested.