13 dead in another horrific road accident in Rajasthan, dumper truck ploughs into multiple vehicles
Jaipur (PTI): A road bustling with daily commuters in Jaipur's Harmada area turned into a scene of devastation Monday afternoon when a rashly driven dumper truck ploughed into at least 17 vehicles, leaving 13 people dead and 10 injured.
Bodies were strewn across the road, mangled cars lined the highway, and several motorbikes were crushed under the dumper's wheels following the horrific chain collision that occurred near Loha Mandi when the truck, whose driver was allegedly under the influence of alcohol, ploughed into these vehicles on a 300 metre stretch before crashing into a trailer.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, his deputies Diya Kumari and Premchand Bairwa and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot expressed grief over the loss of lives.
"The road accident that occurred in the Lohamandi area of Harmada in Jaipur, resulting in loss of life, is extremely tragic and heart-wrenching. Officials concerned have been directed to ensure proper treatment for the injured," Sharma posted on X.
Eyewitnesses described the scene as nothing short of a massacre.
"We saw people pulling out one body after another from the wrecked cars. Some were trapped inside, others were lying on the road. It was chaos, screams and blood everywhere," said Mahesh Sharma, a local shopkeeper.
According to Jaipur District Collector Jitendra Soni, the dumper came from Road No. 14 towards the Loha Mandi petrol pump at high speed, hitting vehicles in its path.
"Thirteen people died and 10 are injured. The injured are being treated at SMS Hospital's trauma centre, and several are in critical condition," Soni told PTI.
Additional Police Commissioner Rajiv Pachar, who was present at the scene, said that the dumper was being driven recklessly.
The driver hit a car, prompting locals to chase him. He accelerated further, hitting pedestrians and bikers along the road. He then stopped after colliding with a trailer truck and a car on the Delhi-Ajmer Highway.
Locals managed to nab the driver and handed him over to the police.
On whether the driver was intoxicated, he said, "Since the accused driver is injured, the situation will become clear only after a medical examination. However, the nature of the accident indicates it could certainly be due to intoxication or medical factors."
CCTV footage showed the dumper truck speeding at over 100 kmph, ramming into vehicles and crushing motorcyclists.
Among the victims were members of a family from Agra -- Nanji Bhai, his brother, two women and a child -- who were returning from Khatushyamji after offering prayers.
"Our car was parked on the roadside when the dumper hit it from behind. The dumper hit our car. Five people of the family have sustained injuries," Nanji Bhai said.
Rakesh, a relative of deceased Mahendra (38), a weaver, said, "They live on Bainad Road in Jaipur. Mahendra's elder brother has two daughters, Varsha (19) and Bhanu (5), who had come to Jaipur to celebrate Diwali with their uncle.
"After the holidays, Mahendra had come to the bus stand with his two nieces to take them back to Sikar. This is when the accident occurred. Varsha is in the trauma centre, while Mahendra and Bhanu have died."
The accident triggered protests in the area, with residents demanding stricter enforcement of road safety laws.
This is the second major road accident in Rajasthan in as many days. At least 15 people, including 10 women and four children, died and two others were injured when a tempo traveller rammed into a stationary trailer truck in Phalodi area on Sunday evening.
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Indian mobile hospital treats over 2,200 cyclone-hit people as New Delhi ramps up relief efforts in
Colombo (PTI): A mobile hospital set up by India in Sri Lanka has provided medical care to over 2,200 people affected by Cyclone Ditwah, as New Delhi ramped up its assistance to the flood-ravaged island nation with engineering support and delivery of fresh relief consignments, the Indian mission here said on Sunday.
Sri Lanka has been grappling with widespread flooding, landslides and severe infrastructure collapse triggered by the cyclone, leaving several districts isolated and severely straining the country's disaster-response capacity.
At least 627 people have been killed and 190 remain missing as of Sunday noon due to catastrophic floods and landslides caused by extreme weather conditions since November 16.
Sharing a social media post by the Ministry of External Affairs on its X handle, the Indian High Commission said a field hospital set up by India in Mahiyanganaya near Kandy has provided medical care to more than 2,200 people affected by the cyclone since December 5.
The hospital has also performed 67 minor procedures and three surgeries, it said. The field hospital was airlifted to Sri Lanka by an IAF C-17 aircraft along with a 78-member Indian medical team on Tuesday.
In another post, the mission said Indian Army engineers, working with Sri Lanka Army Engineers and the Road Development Authority, in Kilinochchi have begun removing a damaged bridge on the Paranthan–Karachchi–Mullaitivu (A35) road, a key route disrupted by the cyclone.
"This joint effort marks another step toward restoring vital connectivity for affected communities," it said.
India has additionally sent nearly 1,000 tonnes of food items and clothing contributed by the people of Tamil Nadu. Of these, about 300 tonnes reached Colombo on Sunday morning aboard three Indian Naval ships.
High Commissioner Santosh Jha handed over the supplies to Sri Lankan Minister for Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe.
India, on November 28, launched 'Operation Sagar Bandhu', a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) initiative, to aid Sri Lanka in its recovery from the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
Since the launch of the operation, India has provided about 58 tonnes of relief material, including dry rations, tents, tarpaulins, hygiene kits, essential cloths, water purification kits and about 4.5 tonnes of medicines and surgical equipment, the Indian mission said in a press release on Sunday.
Another 60 tonnes of equipment, including generators, inflatable rescue boats, Outboard Motors, and excavators, have also been brought to Sri Lanka, it said, adding that 185 tonnes of Bailey Bridge units were airlifted to restore critical connectivity along with 44 engineers.
Two columns of the National Disaster Response Force, comprising 80 experts and K9 units with specially trained dogs, assisted with immediate rescue and relief efforts in Sri Lanka.
Besides the field hospital in Mahiyanganaya, medical centres have also been set up in the badly hit Ja-Ela region and in Negombo. INS Vikrant, INS Udaygiri, and INS Sukanya provided immediate rescue and relief assistance to Sri Lanka.
Apart from the two Chetak helicopters deployed from INS Vikrant, two heavy-lift, MI-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force are actively involved in evacuations and airlifting relief material, the release said.
At the request of the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Centre, a virtual meeting was organised between DMC and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s National Remote Sensing Centre on Saturday.
Since the onset of the disaster, ISRO has been providing maps to assist DMC in its rescue efforts, the release said.
