Truck hits canter ferrying migrants in Doraha, 3 dead
MISHAP Vehicles overturned after colliding on the highway, leading to a traffic jam
LUDHIANA : Three people, including two women, were killed after a truck rear-ended a canter illegally ferrying migrants on National Highway-44 in Doraha, 20km from Ludhiana, on Wednesday morning.
Two of the deceased – Bala, 45, and Kajal, 20, hailing from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh (UP) – were riding in the canter, while the third victim – Shakil, 22, native of Saharanpur, UP, was travelling with his brother, who was driving the other truck.
The mishap also left four people injured – Sham Lal, 45, Rajinder Singh, 30, Sanjogta, 19 and Anju, 13, all migrants hailing from Muzaffarnagar, UP.
ASI Harvinder Singh Ghuman of Doraha police station said the migrants were travelling from Muzaffarnagar to Moga when the accident took place around 6am.
Shakil’s brother Farman told the police that as the two trucks reached near Rajwant Hospital in Doraha, the canter driver missed the slip road leading towards Southern Bypass and braked suddenly in the middle of the road. Moving right behind, he lost control of his vehicle and rammed into the canter, causing both vehicles to overturn. The impact of the collision killed two migrant women and his brother on the spot.
The trucks toppling in the middle of the highway caused serpentine queues of vehicles in no time. After a police team rushed the victims to medical aid, the trucks were removed with the help of a JCB machine.
Two of the injured persons are stated to be in a critical condition at Christian Medical College and Hospital in Ludhiana. The other victims are admitted at ESI Hospital, Ludhiana.
The canter driver fled the scene after abandoning the vehicle.
He has been booked under Sections 279 (rash driving), 304-A (causing death by negligence), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the Indian Penal Code on the statement of Farman.