:Fifteen migrant labourers from Rajasthan sleeping by the roadside in Gujarat’s Surat district died on Tuesday after a truck ran over them, police said.
The tragedy took place near Kosamba village, around 60 km from Surat, police said. The truck driver, who apparently lost control over the vehicle after hitting a sugarcane laden tractor, has been detained.
The truck ran over the migrant construction workers on the Kim-Mandvi road shortly after midnight, Surat SP Usha Rada said.
The truck driver lost control over his vehicle after dashing against the tractor and veered off the road onto the pavement where the workers were sleeping, she said.
“The truck was on its way to Mandvi from Kim. The driver lost control of the vehicle after it hit sugarcane hanging out of the tractor trolley coming from the opposite direction.
“The truck’s front window pane shattered on impact, which blocked the driver’s vision. The truck then veered off the road and crashed into the sleeping labourers,” she said.
Three workers injured in the tragedy are being treated in a nearby hospital, the police official said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that ex-gratia of Rs two lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund would be given to the next of kin of each person killed in the accident and Rs 50,000 would be given to each injured.
“The loss of lives due to a truck accident in Surat is tragic. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. Praying that the injured recover at the earliest,” the PMO tweeted, quoting Modi.