Agencies
New Delhi, May 16:
At least 24 migrant workers were killed and many were injured after a truck rammed into a DCM lorry they were travelling in, on Saturday morning. The incident took place in Auraiya district in Uttar Pradesh at around 3:30 am when the migrant workers were on their way to their native places in different states amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown.
The road accident in Auraiya has left as many as 36 people injured. All the migrants — natives of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal — were coming from Rajasthan.
Those who have sustained serious injuries have been taken to PGI Saifai for treatment, while others have been admitted to a hospital in Auraiya.
The migrant workers are among the thousands who have been left stranded in various parts of the country following the Centre’s announcement of nationwide lockdown in March to stop the spread of coronavirus.
“The accident took place in Mihauli in which 24 people died, and around 15 were injured. A trailer truck carrying around 50 migrant labourers was coming from Rajasthan and it collided with a DCM truck. The accident took place on Saturday between 3.00 am and 3.30 am,” Circle Officer, Auraiya, Surendranath Yadav said.
“The DCM truck was coming from Delhi and heading towards Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh. The trailer truck hit the DCM vehicle. Both the vehicles turned upside down after losing control,” he added.
Elaborating on the incident, Yadav said, “The trailer truck hit the other vehicle, which was coming from Delhi and heading towards Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh. Both the vehicles turned upside down after losing control.”
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken note of the unfortunate incident in Auraiya and has expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the labourers who lost their lives.
Yogi Adityanath has also directed that all the injured be provided medical care immediately. He has instructed the commissioner and IG Kanpur to visit the site and give the report on the cause of the accident immediately.
In a tweet, Yogi Adityanath said, “The death of migrant workers in a road accident in Auraiya district is unfortunate and sad, my condolences to the bereaved families of the dead”.
“Instructions have also been given to provide all possible relief to the victims, to provide proper treatment to the injured and to promptly investigate the accident,” Adityanath added.
Inspector General (IG), Kanpur, Mohit Agarwal said most of the migrant labourers in both the vehicles were from Jharkhand and West Bengal.
“The accident took place when some of the labourers travelling on the truck (coming from Delhi) halted on the Auraiya-Kanpur Dehat Road to have tea at a local shop. At this point of time, a truck coming from Rajasthan hit the stationary vehicle. The intensity of the hit was so huge that both the vehicles turned upside down and fell into a ditch on the roadside,” he said.
“Of the 36 injured, as many as 14 labourers with serious injuries have been admitted to PGI in Saifai (in Etawah district), while 22 have been hospitalised in Auraiya,” he added.
Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said, “Going by the information received till now, there were a couple of migrant labourers from Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar district. Most of the deceased labourers were from West Bengal and Jharkhand.”
When asked whether any financial assistance will be provided to the families of the deceased, he said information in this regard will be given soon.
Samajwadi Party chief and former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav also took to Twitter to express grief over the tragic incident.
“Indescribable grief over the death of more than 24 poor migrant workers in a road accident in Auraiya, Uttar Pradesh. Prayers for the injured,” Akhilesh Yadav said.
Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat also condoled the death of the migrant workers in the road accident and said such incidents in the already hard times are upsetting.
On May 14, eight migrant labourers who were travelling from Maharashtra to their native places in Uttar Pradesh, were killed on the road after the container truck they were travelling in collided with a bus in Cantt area of Guna in Madhya Pradesh.
Another 55 labourers who were travelling in the truck were injured in the accident.
The group of migrant labourers were travelling from Maharashtra to Uttar Pradesh.
