14 members of marriage party killed in Bengal road accident

JALPAIGURI: Fourteen members, including four children, of a marriage party were killed and 10 others injured due to a collision between a stone-laden truck and their three vehicles in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district.

The accident occurred in Jaldhaka area in Dhupguri block on Tuesday night, they said.

The cars of the marriage party were going towards Dhupguri on the wrong side of the road and the collision took place due to dense fog, a senior police officer said.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced an ex gratia of Rs 2.5 lakh each to the next of kin of those who were killed in the accident.

The state government will provide Rs 50,000 each to those who were seriously injured, she said at a programme in Purulia.

Banerjee also said Rs 25,000 would be given to those whose injuries are not serious.

"The loss cannot be compensated. But we would like to tell the families that the government is with them. We are providing compensation to the next of kin of the deceased and the injured persons. Our local MLA Sourav Chakraborty is already there and state minister Aroop Biswas is rushing to the spot," Banerjee said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was extremely anguished over the road accident and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the incident.

He also said that Rs 50,000 each would be given to those injured, according to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

Ten injured people are undergoing treatment in Jalpaiguri Super Speciality Hospital, the police officer said.