Patna: Seven people were killed late on Sunday night after a truck loaded with sand collided with an auto-rickshaw in Masaurhi. The impact sent both vehicles into a water-filled pit, with the auto crushed beneath the truck.
The accident occurred at the Dhanichak turn on the Masaurhi-Naubatpur road. Police, assisted by local residents, retrieved the bodies using a JCB machine.
Masaurhi Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Nav Vaibhav said: “As soon as we received information about the accident, a police team reached the spot. The crash happened late at night, and rescue operations were carried out with the help of locals and police. Those trapped inside the vehicle were pulled out.”
According to reports, the victims were daily wage workers who had travelled to Patna for work. After arriving at Taregna station, they were on their way home to Kharat village by auto when the accident occurred. The truck, en route to Pitwans, suffered an axle failure, causing the driver to lose control and crash into the auto. Both vehicles then plunged into the pit.
Villagers said that labourers from Kharat routinely commuted to Patna by train for work. On Sunday night, around 12 of them were in the auto when the crash occurred near Noora Bazaar.
Five of the deceased have been identified: Matendra Bind (25), Vinay Bind (30), Umesh Bind (38), Ramesh Bind (52)—all residents of Doripar—and Sushil Kumar (35), the auto driver from Hansadih. The truck driver fled the scene after the accident.
