11 kanwariyas also injured in a head-on collision at Daruda

Tragedy struck in Kolhan division of Jharkhand as 13 ‘kanwariyas’ (pilgrims), including six women, were killed on the spot in a severe road mishap. Eleven others were injured as the vehicle on which they were travelling had a head-on collision with a truck at Daruda around 6.15 am under the Ichagarh police station area (between Tata-Ranchi) on NH-33 in the adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district, about 46-kms away from here on Friday morning.

Soon after the tragedy, the injured, three of them women, including an eight-year-old girl were rushed to MGM Medical College and Hospital from where they were shifted to Tata Main Hospital for treatment considering the grave situation. Condition of nine injured is said to be serious. According to information, the mishap victims were residents of Andar Bazaar in Siwan district of Bihar. They were returning home after a religious trip which began on August 6, in two separate pick-up vans, one of which met with the mishap. 

Condition of the eight-year-old girl, Nandini Kumari is said to be very critical.  She was bleeding and  was rushed to the operation theatre for an urgent surgery at the TMH.The mishap took place when one of the vans that was filled with 24 devotees was hit head on with a speeding truck from the opposite direction at Daruda village, causing 13 of them to die on the spot.  When the mishap took place, the other van, carrying as many passengers had gone ahead.

Sharing the horror, one of the devotees, Hari Shankar Prasad, who was travelling in the van going ahead of the van met the mishap said, "We have heard the screams of pain. On the top of the pick-van was a 16-year-old youth Monu Kumar who had flung away as the truck had hit the vehicle. Monu informed us about the mishap. We soon rushed to the spot to see the road spilled with bodies as well as the injured crying in pain". The injured were rescued and carried to the MGM Medical College and Hospital by 9 am.  Some passers-by had informed the Chowka police station, leading a police team to rush to the spot for the rescue work.

As the news spread Seraikela-Kharsawan 

superintendent of police, Indrajeet Mahatha rushed to the spot and ensured the injured to be rushed to the medical college hospital.Mahatha said that the mishap took place as a truck deviated from its way and hit the pick-up van.  He said just before the mishap, the driver of the truck jumped off the truck and fled the scene, abandoning the vehicle. "We are investigating the incident. All bodies of those died and the injured have been identified.  We have sent the bodies of those killed to the MGM Medical College mortuary for post-mortem, and those injured at Tata Main Hospital," said the SP.

According to the SP, those killed were identified as Ashish Kumar (22), Dugda Devi (60), Kushum Devi (45), Jaishankar Kumar (35), Dipu Kumar (25),  Asha Devi (50), Anu Kumari (23), Priti Kumari (27), Vikash Kumar (19), Ashok Kumar (18), Vinod Soni (25), Sushanti Devi (45) and Dhiraj Kumar (16). The injured were identified as Kintu Devi (42), Paramhans (42), Sambhu Prasad (45), Vishun Ram (42), Rahul Kumar (12), Nandini Kumari (8), Monu (16), Sudhanti Devi (55), Raju Kumar (23)and Amarjeet Prasad (24). 

Sources informed that Sambhu Prasad lost four members of his family, including wife Asha is struggling for his life at the intensive care unit of the TMH. 

Hari Shankar said they had started for the pilgrimage from Siwan on August 6. They went to Baidyanath Dham in Deoghar on August 8 where they offered rituals there.  From Deoghar they went to Kolkata and visited Tarkeshwar temple and from Kolkata they had been to Puri.  While returning from Puri to Siwan they had a plan to visit Rajgir near Nalanda district before reaching to Siwan but fate had something else in store.

latter in the day, former CM Arjun Munda went to TMH and met with the injured. He expressed grief over the tragedy.Meanwhile, CM Raghubar Das expressed condolence on the indent and announced Rs 2 lakh and Rs 50,000 compensation for victims’ family members and injured persons respectively.