5 labourers dead after pick-up van rams into truck in Sonipat

A truck carrying several labourers to a field in Jhajjar was hit by a pick-up van this morning. Five men died on the spot and 11 others are undergoing treatment. Police said CCTV footage of the area is being examined to ascertain as to how the accident occurred.

Sonipat:Five labourers were killed after the truck they were travelling in was hit by a pick-up van on the Kundli Manesar Palwal Expressway in Sonipat on Friday, police said. Eleven others were seriously injured and were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

According to police, all the labourers hail from Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur district and were on their way to Jhajjar for working on a field for paddy cultivation. "The truck loaded with labourers was going from Shahjahanpur to Jhajjar when it was suddenly hit by a pick-up van on the Kundli Manesar Palwal Expressway. Five of the labourers succumbed to their injuries on the spot and 11 were left seriously injured," said an officer of Kharkhoda police station.

The locals informed the police and teams from the Kharkhoda police station and state health department reached the spot. Police along with the locals rescued people who were trapped inside the damaged truck and rushed them to the nearby hospital. The five bodies were sent to the Civil Hospital in Sonipat for post-mortem. The truck was removed with the help of a crane and the road was cleared for traffic.

"An investigation has been initiated into the matter. We are examining the CCTV footage of the spot and trying to ascertain as to how the accident occurred," police said.

Recently, there has been a rise in road accidents on Kundli Manesar Palwal Expressway. On October 7, four persons died after five vehicles collided with each other near Nuh on Kundli Manesar Palwal Expressway. It has been learnt that a truck was parked on the Expressway when it was hit by another truck from behind. At the same time, three vehicles also collided with the two trucks.