[ad_1]
The accident took place Tuesday morning near a village in Surat district, in western Gujarat.
At least 15 workers have been crushed to death by a truck in India while sleeping by a roadside, police said.
The accident happened early Tuesday near a village in Surat district in the western Indian state of Gujarat, the region’s police chief Varadbhai said on the phone. Patel.
The dump truck crushed the sleeping workers, killing 12 of them at the scene, Patel said. Eight injured were taken to hospital, where three others succumbed to their injuries, he added.
The dead included a little girl, eight women and six men, police chief Usha Rada said.
The workers came from the neighboring state of Rajasthan.
The driver of the truck lost control of his vehicle after colliding with sugarcane hanging from a tractor cart coming from the opposite direction, Patel said. The driver was among those treated at the hospital.
“The driver of the dumpster … lost control of the vehicle and got out of the road, crushing workers sleeping on the side of the road,” said Deputy Police Commissioner CM Jadeja.
The loss of human life due to a truck accident in Surat is tragic. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. Pray for the injured to recover as soon as possible: PM arenarendramodi
– PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 19, 2021
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and announced compensation for the families of the victims and for the injured. Gujarat is Modi’s home state.
Tens of thousands of people are killed in road accidents in India every year. Accidents are mainly attributed to poorly maintained roads and vehicles or negligent driving.
In 2019, more than 150,000 people died – 410 per day or 17 per hour – in nearly half a million accidents, according to the government.
On Monday, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari ushered in Road Safety Month, saying the government aims to halve the number of road accidents and resulting deaths in the country by 2025.
[ad_2]
