Five persons were killed and two injured when a truck with food grains rammed into a roadside shop while trying to avoid crashing into a heavy vehicle coming from the opposite end near Ghato Mor on Ranchi-Patna highway (NH-33) at Charhi on Sunday morning.

All five had a painful death.

The place where the accident took place is located around 17km from the district headquarters.

A Charhi police officer said the driver of the speeding truck, in a bid to avoid a head-on collision with another heavy vehicle, tried to swerve towards Ghato Mor and ploughed into a shop selling chewing tobacco (khaini).

Seven persons, including the shop owner, who were reading newspapers in front of the shop came under the wheels.

Local people could take out two persons from under the truck before rushing them to Hazaribagh Medical College and Hospital (HMCH), where one of them, identified as Om Prakash Kumar, succumbed to his injuries.

The other five remained trapped and kept screaming for help.

After district administrative officials, including deputy commissioner (DC) Bhuvnesh Pratap Singh and deputy development commissioner (DDC) Vijaya Jadhav reached the spot, an earthmover was deployed to extricate the five victims.

By the time, it could bring them out after five hours, four had already died.

Sanjay Singh, who was still alive, was sent to HMCH and later shifted to RIMS in Ranchi.

Besides Om Prakash, the other deceased have been identified as Baiju Thakur, Janki Prajapati, Rajendra Prajapati and Dileep Gupta.

All of them were in the age group of 35-40 years and sole earning members of their families.

People, who had gathered at the spot, demanded compensation and job for the dependants of the victims.

Officials assured them of providing all help in accordance with the government norms.

Local residents said a similar accidents had killed nine people in Charhi a few years back.