Saharanpur,

April 10 (HS): Three labourers were killed and two injured after a sand-laden

truck toppled near an under-construction bridge here early Friday, according to

authorities. The

incident took at about 2:30 a.m. near Kheda Mughal in the Nagal police station

area. Police claimed the victims were resting in improvised tin shelters by the

roadside after concluding their work at the building site.

According

to Circle Officer (Deoband) Abhitesh Singh, the truck was approaching from the

Kheda Mughal side when it lost balance and collapsed, causing the sand it was

carrying to fall on the laborers resting by the roadside. After receiving

information about the event, local police arrived on the scene and initiated a

two-hour rescue effort with the assistance of other personnel.

The

workers were rescued by shoveling out the sand and sent to a nearby hospital,

he added. Doctors

confirmed three of them dead, Asgar, Istkar, and Shokeen, all of whom live in

Mahmoodpur village in the Mirzapur region, while two others, Gulfam and

Karmveer, are being treated, according to police. The truck was moving sand to

the building site. Its documentation were deemed to be in order following

preliminary inspections. The truck driver fled the scene following the

incident, and authorities are attempting to locate him, they added. Uttar

Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his sympathies to the dead

families and urged senior local authorities to visit the scene and expedite

relief efforts.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi