Sahibganj: At least four people, including a six-year-old schoolgirl, lost their lives and five others were seriously injured in a fatal road accident in Jharkhand’s Sahibganj district on Friday, officials said.
The mishap took place near the Chhota Ranga Dand bridge on the Barhait–Barharwa main road on Friday afternoon, when a passenger auto-rickshaw collided head-on with an oil tanker coming from the opposite direction.
Eyewitnesses said the auto-rickshaw was travelling from Barhait to Barharwa and was scheduled to drop passengers at Dahujor Chowk. However, the collision occurred before it reached the designated stop.
The deceased have been identified as Samra Sah (30) of Bada Ranga village under Ranga police station, Randani Soren (30) of Ghatiari village, Shanti Hembram (6), a schoolgoing child from Dahujor, and Amal Kumar, the auto-rickshaw driver.
Police said three victims died on the spot, while the critically injured driver succumbed during treatment at a nearby hospital.
Five others, including three children, sustained serious injuries and were rushed to nearby hospitals with the help of local residents. Hospital authorities said the condition of some of the injured remains critical.
Officials said the oil tanker driver fled the scene, abandoning the vehicle. Following the incident, angry locals vandalised the Ranga community health centre, alleging negligence and delay in treatment.
Police teams from Barharwa and Ranga police stations, led by Barharwa SDPO Nitin Khandelwal, reached the spot, brought the situation under control, and launched an investigation. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination, and efforts are on to determine the exact cause of the accident.
With inputs from IANS