Seven killed in Bihar road accident, villagers block road in protest

Patna: At least seven people were killed in a road accident near the Nura Bazaar bridge on Masaurhi-Pitwans Road in Patna district following which locals led by MLA blocked the road on Monday in protest.

The accident occurred late Sunday night. Local MLA Rekha Devi and villagers blocked the road, accusing the administration of negligence. Expressing deep sorrow over the loss of lives, she demanded that the state government provide a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of each victim.

Devi stated, “This is a very painful case. So far, the bodies of seven people have been recovered. We have been at the site of the incident since late at night. We have demanded from the government that the dependents of all the deceased be given a compensation of Rs 10 lakh.”

She stated that until these demands are met, the community would not permit the district administration to remove the bodies from the site.

Residents have accused the district administration of negligence in the rescue operation. Following the accident, residents blocked the road and demanded compensation and the arrest of the truck driver responsible for the collision.

The blockade led to traffic being diverted to alternative routes, including Pitwans via the Masaurhi-Deoria-Tiskhora turn.

Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the accident and have initiated rescue operations to assist the victims.

The collision involved a truck and an auto-rickshaw carrying labourers returning to Kharat village from Patna.

The impact caused both vehicles to veer off the road into adjacent water bodies. The auto-rickshaw submerged under the truck.

The victims were identified as Matendra Bind (25), Vinay Bind (30), Umesh Bind (38), Ramesh Bind (52), Sushil Kumar, tempo driver (35), Umesh Bind (30) and Suraj Thakur (20).

Upon receiving information, police arrived at the scene and, with the assistance of a JCB machine, retrieved the bodies.

Family members of the deceased and residents gathered at the site, expressing grief and frustration.

The victims, primarily from Doripar village, were daily wage labourers who commuted to Patna for work.

The truck driver fled the scene following the accident. Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the accident and have initiated measures to address the community’s concerns.

IANS