Dhubri, Aug. 22: A trip to seek blessings from a child with supposed divine powers turned fatal for 14 devotees when the vehicle in which they were travelling hit a stranded truck on National Highway 31 at Monipur around 11. 20 am today.

The victims included three children and six women.

Two families — 24 people in all — from Beltoli Upartary and Bogribari villages of the district, were on their way back home from Kachuarkhas village, 8 km from Dhubri town, after seeking the blessings of four-year-old Ameer Hussain.

Among the eight who were injured, the condition of two persons was stated to be critical. They were rushed to GMCH from Dhubri Civil Hospital.

Eyewitnesses said the impact of the crash was so huge that they had little hope of finding any survivors. “We tried our level best to rescue all the injured. We called the police from Bogribari and made arrangements to send the injured to the Dhubri Civil Hospital,” said Kasem Ali, a resident of Makrijhoir village — about half a kilometre from Monipur.

Dewan Ali, another eyewitness, who had just alighted from another bus near Monipur village, said the van zipped past him at great speed and the very next minute he heard the collision. “For a few seconds there was deathly silence. It was the most pathetic scene I have witnessed in my 55 years of existence,” said Ali.

Thousands of people who gathered at the accident site blocked the highway for about one-and-a-half hours, forcing the district administration to deploy additional police and paramilitary forces to disperse the mob.

Relatives of the deceased rushed to the Dhubri Civil Hospital after receiving the news of the accident.

“All my relatives have died,” sobbed Ohid Khan, who had come to collect the bodies.

Mithelesh Mahoto, the driver of the truck, who was also injured in the mishap, said he was standing next to the vehicle when speeding van crashed into it. He escaped with minor injuries in the leg.

The driver of the van, Firozi Khan, died on the spot.

The other victims have been identified as Sayera Bibi (60), Azaharul Hoque (45), Niyazul Hoque (36), Chameli Bibi (25), Habib (5) Saharun Rafi (18), Yamina Yasmin (26), wife of Rup Chand Ali (45), Yasmin’s one-and-half-year son, Tayeba Khatoon (65), Rohan Rakib (1) and Aman Azhar (3).

One person could not be immediately identified

Azarul Hoque’s aunt Momina Khatun died in another accident at Solmari in Goalpara district when she was on her way to Dhubri from Guwahati after hearing of the previous accident.

The Tata Sumo she was travelling in dashed into another vehicle around 5 pm on National Highway 37.

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