Rajkot: Three persons were arrested on Sunday in the accident case which claimed seven lives near Ningala village on Rajula-Mahuva highway on Friday night.
Police arrested the truck driver Puna Sakhat (37), a resident of Mota Pipalva village of Mahuva taluka in Bhavnagar district; truck owner Yasin Qureshi (32), a resident of Kumbhal village of Mahuva taluka; and a road contractor Lakshmi Vishwanath (47), a resident of Mandal village of Tirupati taluka in Andhra Pradesh.
“Vishwanath, a project manager with Velani Road Builder India Private Limited, has been accused of negligence. He did not put radium signs on the road which is mandatory at night. He was also supposed to create diversion before the bridge which he did not do. Vishwanath, Sakhat and Qureshi have been accused of culpable homicide,” said Pipavav marine police station sub-inspector V L Parmar.
Seven persons, including five minors, were killed and 24 others injured when a truck fell off a 15-foot bridge into a drain near Ningala village on Friday midnight. Those travelling in the truck were returning from a social function.
According to the police, the victims belong to Gokhra village of Una taluka in Gir-Somnath district. They were coming from Jagra village of Mahuva taluka after attending a social function.
A crane was called in to pull out the truck from the drain as some people were stuck under the truck. According to the injured, the bridge was narrow and it was difficult to see what was coming from the front and as a result the driver lost balance and the truck fell into the drain 15 feet below. As the drain was full with filthy water, it became difficult for the administration to conduct the rescue operation.
This coastal highway from Veraval to Bhavngar is under construction and because of that a road from Pipavav Crossroads to Rajula Crossing has become an accident-prone zone.
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