Ranchi: A brand new dumper ploughed into a slum at Namkum, around 10km from here, damaging at least two semi-pucca houses and a water pipeline around 5pm on Monday. Luckily, nobody was hurt in the accident.

Namkum thana OC Pankaj Basuhan said the vehicle would be seized. "The driver has fled. We are now trying to remove the vehicle to assess the damage. Once that is done, we will trace the owner," he said over phone.

Bhavani Devi (50), owner of one of the damaged houses, said she could have died had she been inside. "I had just returned from work when I saw a crowd. Later, I realised two houses, including mine, had been damaged by the dumper," she said.

Devi, who is a casual worker in a local cement godown, said she fears that all her household articles might have been smashed. "Will I get compensation?," she inquired.

While it was not immediately known where the vehicle was heading to, a local source said it was coming from Ranchi.

"It looks as a new vehicle and it didn't even have a registration number. It was travelling at a very high speed and the driver might have lost control while negotiating other vehicles. The road along Namkum railway station on which it was plying is very narrow and prone to accidents. Heavy vehicles often ply in large numbers through this route that connects Ranchi with Purulia and Dhanbad," Basuhan said.