7 lives snuffed out in two road accidents

BATHINDA/JALANDHAR: Seven people, including three women and two children, died in two road accidents in Talwandi Sabo and Jalandhar on Sunday.

Four persons, including two women, were killed and 11 were injured in a road accident involving a milk tanker and a multi-utility vehicle in Talwandi Sabo, around 30 km from Bathinda, in the morning. Occupants of another vehicle that was also hit by the tanker had a miraculous escape.

The deceased have been identified as Lachhami Kaur, 40; Prasin Kaur, 60; Tek Singh, 45; and driver Budh Singh, 55, all residents of Rama Mandi, who were travelling in a Force Cruiser (PB 01 A 3869). Other occupants of the vehicle were rushed to the Talwandi Sabo civil hospital, from where five grievously hurt were referred to the Bathinda civil hospital.

They were on there way to Jaitu in Faridkot district to attend a bhog ceremony when a Milkfed tanker (PB 03 AP 3965) hit their vehicle on the BathindaTalwandi Sabo road around 10am. After hitting the MUV, the tanker also rammed into a Tata Safari SUV moving ahead of it. Although the vehicle overturned, no one was injured.

Tanker driver Shingara Singh has been arrested. He was booked under Section 304-A (causing death due to negligence) of the IPC.

In another accident on Sunday night, a woman and two children died after a gravel-laden tipper fell on the Chevrolet Cruze car they were travelling in on the Jalandhar-Phagwara highway near the PAP Chowk in Jalandhar. The car was badly damaged in the mishap that took place around 10.30pm. The driver, who is yet to be identified, saved his life by jumping out of the car (PB 09 Q 0031) before the tipper (PB 08 BT 0892) fell on it.

It took an hour for the cops and rescue workers to lift the tipper. Two cranes were put into service for the purpose. People from the nearby locality also came out to help the cops. The three victims were pulled out and sent to a private hospital. Police commissioner Arpit Shukla said the woman and children died in this mishap. The accident led to a long traffic jam.

PARDEEP PANDIT/HT A crane lifting the mangled remains of a car after a gravelladen tipper overturned on it near PAP Chowk in Jalandhar on Sunday. A woman and two children died in the freak accident.

SANJEEV KUMAR/HT (Left) A badly damaged vehicle after it was hit by a Milkfed tanker in Talwandi Sabo, leading to the death of four of its occupants; and an SUV that overturned after the tanker rammed into it after the mishap.