SURAT: After a day of hard labour at a construction site, the group of migrant workers fell fast asleep on the pavement on the roadside near Kim crossroad. But within a couple of hours, some were crushed to death in sleep while others woke up to the wails for help when the truck crushed 21 of them.
Those who were fortunate enough to survive only remember the cries of their family members. “I couldn’t understand what had happened. I searched for my wife and she was in a pool of blood,” Manish Mevuliya alias Mahida, 27, whose wife Anita died in the accident due to severe head injury.
Manish was sleeping beside Anita but survived with minor injuries on hand, right shoulder and hand. He was in a deep shock and shuddered while narrating the ordeal.
The labourers came to Kim around 20 days ago and worked as daily wage workers at a nearby construction site. The group from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan visit Kim and nearby areas in search of work every year. Mostly, it is a temporary stay, hence they live on the roadside.
Kamlesh Mahida, 21, who suffered multiple injuries as the truck tyre brushed his head, said, “I don’t know how I survived. I am worried about my wife who has a serious head injury,” he said.
“I didn’t understand what happened. People who came to help informed us that the truck passed by and injured us,” said Kamlesh who is admitted in SMC-run SMIMER hospital.
His wife Pinka added, “I only remember writhing in pain due to injury in my head. My head would have got crushed completely.”
Despite bitter cold, the labourers were living on the pavement with children and a bundle of clothes and blankets. They earn around Rs 200 to Rs 250 as daily wages.