Seven dead after van plunges into roadside canal in north Bengal

MIDNAPORE: SINCE ALL THE OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE, INCLUDING THE DRIVER, DIED IN THE ACCIDENT, NONE HAD ANY IDEA HOW THE MISHAP OCCURRED

At least seven persons died on Saturday early morning in the north Bengal district of Cooch Behar when a van, carrying guests of a marriage party, plunged into a roadside canal.

Since all the occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, died in the accident, none had any idea how the mishap occurred.

The passengers were returning from a marriage ceremony.

“Perhaps the vehicle lost its control and fell in the canal. All passengers including a minor died,” said Bholanath Pandey, superintendent of police, Cooch Behar.

Those who died were Gopal Saha, 37, Sadhan Saha, 35, Balaram Saha, 38, Subrata Saha, 32, Nikita Saha, 7, Golap, 40, and Bapi Barman, 25.

Those dead were residents of Bhetaguri.

They had gone to attend the marriage ceremony of a relative in Baxirhat which is near the Cooch Behar-Assam border.

In the last week of January, 42 persons died when a bus plunged into a canal in Bengal’s Murshidabad district.

Investigation revealed that the driver was speaking on a mobile phone when the accident took place early in the morning. The bus belonged to a state transport undertaking.

Following that mishap, police and transport department conducted drives and awareness programmes forbidding drivers in government buses to speak on phones when at the wheel.