Trailer hits vehicle heading for funeral in Jharkhand, 7 dead

A horrific road accident occurred in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh on Monday morning at around 10:30 am. Near Mahanetand Kat, a speeding trailer hit a passenger vehicle parked on the roadside with great force. 7 people died in this accident, while 14 others were injured.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, a total of 19 people, including the driver, were traveling in this passenger vehicle. The vehicle was carrying residents of Salaiatand village under Bihar Panchayat of Bagodar block in Giridih district. They were heading to Varanasi with the body of 90-year-old Kunjo Prajapati. Kunjo Prajapati had passed away on Sunday, and the family had decided to fulfill his wish to perform his last rites in Varanasi.

According to the police, the passenger vehicle had been stopped on the roadside to strengthen the rope used to tie the body when a speeding trailer coming from behind hit it. The impact was so severe that the vehicle overturned and several passengers were thrown onto the road. A coal-laden truck following the trailer also hit the vehicle, after which it went into a gorge and overturned.

5 people died at the spot in this accident, while 2 others died during treatment. The deceased have been identified as Raju Pandit (40), son of Kunjo Prajapati, Budhni Devi (50), Dhokal Pandit (45), Rameshwar Pandit (70), and Ramkisun Mahto (50). The identities of the remaining 2 deceased have not yet been established. Raju was working in Mumbai and had returned to his village upon hearing the news of his father's death.

Pankaj Kumar, in-charge of Chauparan police station, stated that the collision was so intense that the pickup van overturned. The 14 injured persons have been admitted to hospitals in Hazaribagh and Barhini, out of which 3 are reported to be in critical condition. Some patients have been sent to Sheikh Bhakari Medical College Hospital in Hazaribagh for further treatment. Police and local residents assisted in the rescue operations. The trailer driver fled after the accident, and the police are searching for him.