Four persons died and three others suffered injuries during the early hours of Thursday, when an SUV carrying nine construction site workers from Varanasi rammed into a trailer on National Highway 2. The incident happened between Mairakulhi and Chalibangla area, under the Rajganj Police Station area of Dhanbad, about 17 kilometers from the district headquarters.

The four deceased persons were identified as Rahul Pandey (28), a resident of Varanasi, who was driving the car; Shalim Sheikh (30), a resident of Birbhum in Bengal, and Anjrarul Sheikh (35) and Atiqul Sheikh (25), both residents of Pakur in Jharkhand. Their bodies have been sent to the Sahid Nirmal Mahto Memorial Medical College for post mortem.

The injured persons -- Nabir Sheikh and Rahima Bibi, both residents of Birbhum, and Manjarul Shiekh are undergoing treatment at the same hospital.

A team of the Rajganj Police Station, led by officer in charge, Santosh Kumar, reached the accident spot and rescued the trapped persons from the vehicle.

Jay Kumar Yadav, am assistant sub-inspector, who was part of the team, said, “All the nine persons involved in the accident were distant relatives SUV on a pool basis from Varanasi, to reach their native places. But their vehicle met with the accident during the wee hours of Thursday.”

“The family members of the deceased as well as injured persons were informed and all have reached Dhanbad,” he added.

The accident happened near a speedbreaker when the drive of the trailer applied sudden brakes, making the SUV driver lose control. He was driving the car at a high speed and rammed into the trailer.

Manjarul Sheikh, one of the injured persons, told The Telegraph Online, “Me, my younger brother and other construction workers used to work together at Varanasi. We had hired the vehicle at the rate of Rs 1,200 per person to reach our destinations. The vehicle left from Varanasi on Wednesday night at around 3 pm but met with the accident.”

“All of us were fast asleep when the accident took place so we are not aware how it happened,” Sheikh, who lost his younger brother Anjrarul in the incident, said.

Manirul Sheikh, a relative of the injured persons from Birbhum, said, “I reached here this morning after receiving the news about the accident and will soon leave with my relatives, who will be admitted at a private hospital in Birbhum from better treatment.” He had reached the Jharkhand hospital on receiving information about his aunt, Rahima Bibi and another distant relative, Nabir Sheikh, being injured in the accident.