Patna: A father and his daughter were killed late on Saturday night after a chain collision on the Bakhtiyarpur–Mokama four-lane highway near Patna, as dense fog sharply reduced visibility, police said.
The victims were identified as Anupam Kumar and his daughter Aastha Rani, who were travelling in a Scorpio. His wife, Shweta Kumari, and son, Anish alias Sunny, sustained serious injuries and were admitted to a private hospital in Bakhtiyarpur.
According to police, the accident occurred around 11pm when a container truck travelling from Mokama towards Bakhtiyarpur was hit from behind by the Scorpio amid dense fog. Moments later, a Creta car collided with the Scorpio, compounding the impact.
“The fog was extremely dense,” said Rahul Kumar Navneet, station house officer of Bakhtiyarpur police station. “The Scorpio rammed into the container truck from behind, and the Creta then hit the Scorpio. Two people died on the spot, and four others were seriously injured.”
Two occupants of the Creta were also injured and taken to hospital for treatment.
Sunny Kumar Rajour, a resident of Banka who is undergoing treatment, told police that the family was travelling to Faridabad when the crash occurred. “Because of the fog, our car was hit. My father and sister died on the spot,” he said, adding that he and his mother were receiving medical care.
Another injured passenger, Sunil Kumar, deputy manager at State Bank of India in Patna, told police he was returning to Patna with Aditya Kumar Chandan after meeting the district magistrate of Bhagalpur. Chandan is the secretary of the Bihar Cricket Association and a resident of Hajipur.
Devanand Sharma, in charge of the Bakhtiyarpur police station, said all four injured people were admitted to hospitals in Bakhtiyarpur and were undergoing treatment. Police have cited dense fog as the primary cause of the accident and said further investigation was under way.
