Rescue personnel at the site of the accident on Tuesday. (PTI)
Nine migrant workers returning from West Bengal to their villages in East Champaran and West Champaran districts of Bihar were killed when the truck they were travelling on overturned at Naugachhia in Bhagalpur late on Monday night. Only three of the victims have been identified so far.
Police have identified six of the victims as Mohammed Hashim from Chitpuri Jamunia village in West Champaran, Mohammed Rustum from Sitani village in East Champaran, Gulshan, also from Sitani village, Shoukat Ali from Paharpur village in East Champaran, and Zalim Mian and Noor Hoda from Vishunpura in West Champaran. All of them were daily wage labourers.
According to police, the migrant workers had left for their homes on bicycles, but managed to hitch a ride on the truck carrying iron poles. They were crushed under the poles when the truck overturned after colliding with a bus, also carrying migrant labourers from Darbhanga to Banka, police said.
Five passengers of the bus were injured in the mishap.
Naugachhia police station inspector R S Kushwaha said, “We have identified six persons from their Aadhaar cards and informed East Champaran and West Champaran police to trace their family members and send them. We can identify the other victims through them.”
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has expressed grief over the incident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh for the kin of each of the victims, an official release said. Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav termed the accident “heart-rending”.
3 migrants killed in Mahrashtra
Nagpur: Three migrant workers were killed and 26 others were injured when the bus they were travelling in rammed into a truck near Arni town in Yavatmal district early Tuesday. The driver of the bus was also killed in the accident. Deputy SP Udaysinh Chandel said, “the bus was carrying 30 migrants. Around 4 am, the bus rammed a truck, killing the driver and three labourers and injuring 26.” —ENS