The site where the accident took place on Wednesday. Picture by Animesh Sengupta

The driver of a dumper was killed early on Wednesday morning when the vehicle skidded into a deep gorge at Belajuri village along NH-33 under MGM police station area, 20km from Jamshedpur.

The police recovered the body of the deceased as well as the dumper — both of which were stuck in the gorge — by deploying the services of a crane.

The victim has been identified as Bokaro resident Chhotu Rajak (45), who worked in Jamshedpur with Tarapore Transport Company.

The body of the driver has been sent to the MGM Medical College and Hospital morgue, while the dumper has been kept near the accident site on National Highway 33.

The vehicle during the skid, had also injured a pedestrian, who sustained minor shoulder injuries.

He was released from MGM Medical College and Hospital’s emergency after first-aid.

Sub-inspector Dilip Gagrai of MGM police station said the mishap took place at 6.30am.

“Residents of Belajuri village informed us that an dumper had fallen into a gorge and the driver was still trapped inside the vehicle. A police team rushed to the spot and found Rajak dead at the steering wheel. His head, which had hit the steering wheel, was split open. Death appears to have been immediate,” the police officer told The Telegraph.

Rajak used to ferry iron slag from Tata Steel Works in Jamshedpur and dump it at Galudih under Ghatshila police station area.

According to Gagrai, the morning mishap took place when Rajak was returning to the steel city after dumping the iron slag.

He was a bachelor who lived alone.

“We suspect alcohol or sleep starvation behind the cause of the accident. The exact reason will be known once the post-mortem report is out,” said sub-inspector Gagrai.

The management of the transport firm has sent information of the tragedy to Rajak’s family in Bokaro.