Water tanker crushes woman to death in parched Shimla

A 65-year-woman died after being hit by a water tanker in Shimla on Saturday. Ironically, the incident comes at a time when such vehicles are a welcome sight in a hill town plagued by acute water shortage.

Sources said the victim, identified as Uma Keperate from Chadiyana village, was walking along Mall Road around 2 pm when a private tanker deployed by the municipal corporation rammed into her. Although she was accompanied by her daughter-in-law Sandeepna and granddaughter Kamana, they managed to escape unhurt.

Uma was rushed to the Indira Gandhi Medical College, where doctors declared her dead on arrival. Janak Raj, senior medical superintendent at the institution, said she suffered fatal injuries in the head, neck and ribs.

The incident occurred while the vehicle was on its way Chhota Shimla.

“I was the first to see the tanker bearing down on us. I managed to drag my daughter to the side, but could not save my mother-in-law,” said Sandeepna.

Police personnel accompanying the water tanker said the driver, Happy Singh from Chakkar area, lost control of the wheel after suffering a seizure. He was taken to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital in an unconscious state.

The Shimla municipal corporation has deployed 34 water tankers, including private ones, to alleviate an unprecedented water crisis. The hill town received just 28.1 million litres per day (MLD) of water on Saturday, as compared to its requirement of 45 MLD.