Three killed, five critical in road accident in West Bengal’s Naxalbari

A road accident in Naxalbari, West Bengal, claimed the lives of three people and left five others critically injured when a vehicle carrying devotees to the Maha Kumbh Mela collided head-on with a container truck early Monday morning.

The accident occurred around 6 AM in the Satbhai area under Naxalbari Police Station when a Bolero pickup van carrying 13 passengers from Mayong in Assam’s Morigaon district, crashed into a container truck. The impact killed Niranjan Sarkar, Ranju Biswas, and the vehicle’s driver, Amrit Biswas, on the spot. Police and local residents rushed to rescue the injured and admitted them to a nearby hospital, where five remain in critical condition.

The group had departed from Mayong on Sunday evening to attend the historic Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The overnight journey turned tragic when the accident occurred along their route in West Bengal. Among the injured are Ramlal Biswas, Shrikant Biswas, Revati Sen, Pawan Kshatriya, Ravi Malo, Krishna Das, Ranjit Biswas, Shyamal Das, and Ratan Biswas. Reports indicate that a passenger named Pradip Biswas narrowly escaped unharmed.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the collision, while the bodies of the deceased have been sent to their families for final rites