Kishanganj: Three people were killed on Monday afternoon after a truck and a dumper collided head-on and caught fire on National Highway 327E in Bihar’s Kishanganj district. The impact of the crash was so severe that both vehicles were engulfed in flames within minutes.
The accident took place under the Thakurganj police station area when the two heavy vehicles, travelling from opposite directions, rammed into each other. Eyewitnesses said flames rose high into the air, creating panic at the scene and forcing authorities to temporarily halt traffic on the busy highway.
Police and fire brigade teams rushed to the spot after receiving information about the accident. Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control after considerable effort. However, the truck driver, the dumper driver and a helper died at the scene. The bodies were later sent to Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examination.
Officials said that only the truck driver has been identified so far as Dharmendra Kumar, a resident of Motihari district. The identities of the dumper driver and the helper are yet to be confirmed. A truck helper, Sahil Alam, also from Motihari, survived the accident and is currently undergoing treatment.
According to police, preliminary findings suggest overspeeding and negligence as possible causes of the crash. SDPO-2 Manglesh Kumar Singh said an investigation is underway and efforts are being made to identify the remaining victims and inform their families.
“The truck was carrying rice from Motihari to Guwahati, while the dumper, loaded with boulders, was travelling from Siliguri towards Pauakhali via Thakurganj. The vehicles collided head-on,” Singh said.
