Kolkata, 15 October (H.S.) : Two scooter riders were killed after being crushed under the wheels of a dumper truck on National Highway 12 in Nadia district on Thursday morning, casting a pall of gloom over the area on the auspicious day of Panchami. The fatal accident occurred near Prafulla Nagar within the jurisdiction of the Santipur police station, resulting in the instantaneous death of both riders. One of the deceased has been identified as Satyen Roy, a resident of the Boalia locality under Santipur police station limits, while the identity of the second victim, believed to be from the same area, is yet to be established.

According to sources, the two youths were traveling on a scooter from Ranaghat toward Santipur when a speeding dumper rammed into their two-wheeler near Prafulla Nagar in Phulia. Both riders were run over by the heavy vehicle and died on the spot. Upon receiving information, personnel from the Santipur police station and the local traffic police rushed to the site, recovered the bodies, and sent them for formal post-mortem examination. While the specific reason for their visit to Ranaghat remains unclear, police have registered a case and initiated an investigation to ascertain the exact circumstances leading to the collision. Local residents expressed outrage over reckless driving by dumper operators in the region, complaining that excessive speeding poses a persistent hazard and demanding heightened police surveillance along the highway.

In a separate road accident during the early hours of Panchami, one person was killed and four others were critically injured following a collision between a private car and a tractor at Rajbandh in Kanksa. Preliminary reports indicate that the speeding car rammed into the rear of a sand-laden tractor after the driver lost control of the vehicle. In another incident on Thursday morning, traffic on a major thoroughfare was brought to a standstill in Birati when a diesel tanker overturned after hitting a road divider while en route to Barasat. The resulting fuel spillage triggered massive traffic congestion, prompting airport police and fire brigade personnel to quickly scatter sand across the carriageway to prevent further vehicular mishaps.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh