The accident took place when the SUV driver skidded off the path of the bus coming from
the opposite side and rammed into a roadside godown instead. All the passengers in the
50-seater bus have escaped unhurt. Picture by Pankaj Singh
Ranchi, May 3: Twelve members of a marriage party, including five children, were killed in an accident that left the newly-wed couple severely injured after the SUV they were travelling in collided head-on with a truck in Deoghar this morning.
Both the groom and the bride have been shifted to the state-run Patliputra Medical College and Hospital in Dhanbad, where their condition is stated to be critical.
None of the victims could be identified till the filing of this report.
The accident took place on Deoghar-Dumka highway near Chowka More, around 20km from the temple town and some 300km from the capital, about 10am when a speeding truck rammed into the SUV, carrying 14 baraatis mostly comprising close relatives.
Sources said the baraatis were returning home to Andhrigadar village in Mohanpur after solemnising the marriage last night at Janki village in Jasidih - both the villages are located in Deoghar district. The truck was coming from the opposite direction.
Deoghar SP P. Murugan said the police were trying to ascertain the identities of the deceased and the injured.
"The bodies were trapped inside the wrecked car. We had to use gas cutters to pull them out. The bodies have been taken to Deoghar Sadar Hospital and the new couple has been sent to PMCH," said the SP.
Another senior police officer said they reached the accident spot within 10 minutes after the mishap. "But, the SUV was so badly damaged that it took us more than two hours to bring out the bodies and the injured from the wreckage. We had to go to Deoghar town to fetch gas cutters. Some of the victims probably died due to the delay in their rescue," he rued.
The truck driver and his helper fled the scene, leaving the vehicle behind.
"Police have seized the truck and are trying to find out the owner and the driver," SP Murugan added.
Deoghar MLA Narayan Das, who rushed to the spot to supervise the rescue operation, said nine persons were killed on the spot while one person died on way to the sadar hospital. Two others succumbed to their injuries at the hospital later, he added.
"I have never seen such a tragic accident in my life. Even family members are unable to identify the bodies. I have requested senior district officials to ensure compensation for the kin of the victims as per rules," he added.
The accident hit the traffic on Deoghar-Dumka highway, leaving long trails of vehicles stranded on both sides of the road for hours.
