Eighteen people were killed in two separate road accidents in the state in the past 24 hours.
In a major mishap in Bankura district, a dozen people were killed late on Thursday night. The accident took place near Barjora area on state highway 9 on the Durgapur-Bankura Road. According to eyewitnesses, a Tata Sumo carrying a marriage party collided head-on with an iron scrap-laden lorry coming from the opposite direction.
According to circle inspector of the Barjora police station, Haripada Saha, the driver and eight people were killed on the spot. Three others died while they were being taken to the hospital. Out of the 13 people travelling in the car, only one person has survived. The impact of the collision was so powerful that the car was reduced to a mangled skeleton of steel. Gas-cutters were used to extricate the injured. The ill-fated car was carrying marriage party from Sahebdanga village to Jamragram. A pall of gloom descended on Sahebdanga after the accident.
In another accident in Raiganj in North Dinajpur district, six people(all members of a marriage party) travelling in a Tata Magic van were killed on Friday morning when it collided with a trailer. The accident occurred on National Highway 34.