On their way to a cremation, 5 die in truck-jeep collision in Dhanbad

A head-on collision between a truck and a jeep (functioning as a hearse) killed five people who were taking a woman’s body to the crematorium on Thursday afternoon. The accident victims included the driver of the hearse. Several others, all travelling in the jeep, were injured. The truck driver fled the accident site, near Dakai Forest More on Sarath-Deoghar road under Sarawa police station.

Deoghar superintendent of police NK Singh, confirming the death of five persons, said, “Senior officers from the headquarters were sent to the spot for taking care of the injured.” The injured were admitted to Deoghar Sadar Hospital.

The dead were identified as Anil Mondal, Saroj Mondal, Sitaram Mondal, the deceased woman’s son Bhutka Mondal, who all died on the spot, and jeep driver Ram Singh, who died at the hospital. The deceased woman was Surji Devi (42), a resident of Rangatand village under Palajori police station. Her body was being taken for cremation to Sultangunj, in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district. Devi’s husband Mangru Mondal and eight others — Anand, Ramdeo, Pancham, Subhash, Jadu, Sadhu, Hriday, Tulsi, and Vishnu, all Mondals and residents of the same village — were injured.

There were angry reactions from locals. Deoghar sub-divisional police officer Vikash Chand Srivastava said, “People blocked the road for over three hours, demanding compensation. After much persuasion, they agreed to remove the blockade and the bodies were sent to Sadar Hospital for a post-mortem.”

Local MLA Badal Patralekh informed the district administration about the incident and also called ambulances for the injured.

Senior politicians, including Congress leader Furkan Ansari and JMM leader Sasank Kumar Bhogta, reached Sadar Hospital and met with the victims.