Three persons were killed and five others, including a child, injured after a head-on collision between a truck and an SUV at ring road in Sarwal, about 25km from the capital under Namkum police station area on Saturday afternoon.

The collision took place at 2pm between the SUV (JH 1AZ 5788) and the truck (WB 11C 2333). The SUV, with members of the Oraon family of Peepar Toli in Chanho police station area on board, was heading towards Bundu for a wedding. The truck with a consignment of batteries was coming from the opposite direction.

The deceased included driver Gulzar Ansari (32), Punia Oraon (45) and Sunita Oraon (30). Sunita died on her way to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) here while Ansari and Punia died on the spot in Sarwal.

Among the injured are Sunil Oraon (24), Gandru Oraon (45), Parwati Oraon (60), Koili Oraon (65) and Aryan Oraon (5). All have multiple injuries and it is said their condition is critical. Undergoing treatment at RIMS, they are not in a condition to say who is related to whom.

An eye-witness said the impact of the collision on the SUV was so intense that it looked like it had been blown up. “The impact was so much that the vehicle’s floor and roof got unattached. It seemed as if the vehicle had been blown up with explosives. The hand of the driver, who died on the spot, got separated from the body. It was gruesome. The injured were noticed lying scattered at different places on the road,” the eyewitness added. “Those who saw the scene will get nightmares about it for days to come.”

Trainee IPS Anjani Anjan deputed at Namkum police station confirmed the accident saying prima facie speeding vehicles on the ring road, which is undergoing repairs, caused the accident.

“Ring road has a divider with two lanes each on both the sides. Repairing and maintenance has been going on one side, which is blocked. So, all the traffic has to take the other side (with two lanes). Drivers might have been confused as to which lane to lane and had been speeding as well as so came face to face with each other resulting in the massive crash,” Anjan said.

A policeman at Namkum said the truck driver escaped leaving his vehicle with the consignment.

An FIR has been registered in this connection at Namkum police station against the unidentified driver. The bodies of the deceased were also sent to RIMS for autopsy.

Traffic got disrupted for over an hour after the mishap. Rural SP Ashutosh Shekhar said the road was cleared after removing the damaged vehicle. Asked about measures to prevent such an accident here, rural SP Shekhar only said, “Yes, steps are being planned.”