A tragic incident in Bihar's Jamui district claimed the life of a senior citizen and injured three others on Tuesday morning, when a speeding truck rammed into a roadside tree during a religious gathering.
Ritual Gathering Turns Tragic
The fatal accident occurred at Dumarkola village under the Khaira police station area. Around 50 villagers had gathered under a large tree to perform the 'shraddh' ritual, a ceremony held to honour a deceased family member. Among them was 65-year-old Vishundeo Mandal, a resident of Kolwari village, who had come to attend the death ritual of his cousin.
Sequence of the Fatal Mishap
During the solemn ritual, a goods carrier truck coming from the Sikandra side lost control and violently struck the tree. The impact snapped a large branch, which fell directly onto Vishundeo Mandal's head. He succumbed to his injuries on the spot. The sudden collapse also injured three other villagers: Pawan Kumar, Chhotu Kumar, and Pinku Pandey.
Eyewitnesses reported that two trucks from the same company were moving in a convoy. After the first truck caused the catastrophe, the driver of the second truck allegedly abandoned his vehicle on the road and fled the scene. Alert villagers, however, managed to overpower and detain the driver of the first truck.
Police Action and Investigation
The injured were promptly rushed to a nearby hospital and are reported to be out of danger. Khaira police station in-charge Mintu Kumar Singh arrived at the site, seized both trucks, and initiated an investigation.
"The driver, Akhilesh Kumar Yadav, has been arrested," stated Singh. "Both the trucks were goods carriers coming from Sikandra. The deceased's body has been sent for postmortem, and further investigation is underway."
In the aftermath, Munna Rawat, the nephew of the deceased Vishundeo Mandal, has demanded compensation from the administration for the bereaved family.
