Three persons were killed on NH12 near Tokipur village in Murshidabad district’s Rejinagar around 5am on Monday when a speeding truck careened off the highway and ran over them.

Dilwar Hossain, 58, Ketab Sheikh, 50, and Manirul Sheikh, 30, were walking back home after prayers at the local mosque when the mishap occurred.

Eyewitnesses said the truck rammed into a tree and an electrical pole before running over the three men, with Dilwar and Ketab dying on the spot. Manirul succumbed on way to the hospital.

“The incident occurred on the Behrampore-bound flank of the highway,” said a police officer, adding that the thoroughfare was a vital link for vehicles between Calcutta and Siliguri.

As news of the deaths spread, angry residents of Tokipur blocked the highway for over two hours, causing a 3km jam of heavy vehicles on the highway. Police dispersed the roadblock shortly after 7am after convincing the villagers that they would arrest the absconding truck driver.

Sources said the truck, abandoned by the side of the highway, was seized by the police later in the day. Police suspected the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel. “The bodies have been handed to the families after post-mortem and cases of unnatural death lodged. We will initiate legal action against the absconding driver,” said district police chief K. Sabari Rajkumar.