In a shocking incident, 15 migrant labourers reportedly hailing from Rajasthan were mowed down and five others injured by a speeding dumper truck in Gujarat’s Surat on Tuesday.
According to an official the tragic incident took place in the wee hours of Tuesday morning when all the victims including a toddler, were sleeping by a roadside at that time a truck driver lost control and ran over 20-odd farm labourers near the Kosamba village, 60 km from Surat. Later the accused driver has been arrested by the police.
As per an official, twelve of them were killed on the spot while three others succumbed later. The injured victims have been shifted to a nearby hospital.
All the victims hailed from Kushalgarh in Rajasthan, police said. The truck driver claimed the accident happened as the steering wheel jammed and he lost control, informed an official.
Stating on the tragic accident Surat Range Inspector General of Police Rajkumar Pandyan cited, “A dumper truck ran over the migrants who worked in sugarcane fields on the Kim-Mandvi road shortly after midnight, after first hitting a tractor loaded with sugarcane. Twelve persons died on the spot, while two succumbed on way to the hospital. Seven men, six women and one child died in the accident.”
After the accident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other state ministers expressed their grief over the incident. PM Modi also announced Rs 2 lakh as ex gratia to the kin of each of the deceased from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund, which is primarily utilized to render immediate relief to those affected by natural calamities like floods, cyclones, earthquakes, major accidents and riots. And those who have injured in this accident will get Rs 50,000 each from the fund.
Modi took to Twitter and wrote, “The loss of lives in a truck accident in Surat is tragic. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. Praying that the injured recover at the earliest.”
“Ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF will be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives and Rs 50,000 each to those injured,” said in another tweet.
Ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to the accident in Surat. Rs. 50,000 each would be given to those injured.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 19, 2021
In a similar incident, in May 2020 at sixteen migrant labourers, who were trying to return to their home State Madhya Pradesh on foot, were killed when a goods train ran over them between Jalna and Aurangabad districts.
