Men dig up the road near Bankra bus stop on Sunday morning after the mishap. Picture by Soumen Bhattacharjee

An Indian Air Force officer died after being hit by a car and then run over by a truck near Birati, on the northern fringes of the city, on Sunday morning.

Witnesses said Group Captain Surajprakash Kakkaril, from Hyderabad, was taking a stroll and crossing Jessore Road around 6.40am when the mishap occurred.

“An Ambassador heading towards the airport hit the 48-year-old officer, who fell on the road and was run over by the right front wheel of a Barasat-bound truck. The car driver lost control of his vehicle and rammed into the rear wheels of the truck before coming to a halt,” said Sajal Ghosh, who witnessed the accident from a roadside tea stall.

Kakkaril was taken to Dum Dum Municipal Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. “Both vehicles have been seized and a search is on for the drivers,” said Rahul Srivastava, the superintendent of North 24-Parganas police.

Traffic was disrupted on the artery for close to three hours after the mishap. Normal vehicular movement resumed around 9.30am.

Residents later dug up parts of the road at two places near Bankra bus stop to slow down vehicles.

“Five fatal accidents occurred on the stretch in the past year. We had held many blockades and appealed to the administration to set up speed-breakers but nothing has been done,” said Nur Mohammed, a resident.

Air force sources said Kakkaril had been posted at the Chandigarh airbase. “He was on his way to Tezpur on an assignment and had come to the IAF hostel, barely a kilometre from the accident spot, last night with his wife, son and daughter. He was to leave for Tezpur on Sunday evening,” said an officer.