NEW DELHI: At least six people, including a 14-year-old girl, were killed and three others injured when a Delhi Municipal Corporation dumper rammed into a car here early on Wednesday.
A Delhi Fire Service official said four of the deceased belonged to one family and the fifth person was the driver of the car in which they were travelling.
The dead have been identified as 55-year-old Qamar Abbas Zaidi, his wife Anjum Fathima Zaidi, 50, son Azhar Abbas Zaidi, 18, daughter Juhi Fathima, 14, and the 33-year-old driver Mehraj. Among the injured are three children, including Zaidi’s 13-year-old son Abbas, and a woman, the DCP said.
The accident took place happened around 3 am on NH 24 near Mayur Vihar in east Delhi. Four others were injured in the crash. The car’s occupants were travelling from the Delhi airport to Meerut.
A senior police officer said the dumper driver lost control over the vehicle. The dumper broke the railing and hit the Innova on the other side of the road. The impact was so powerful that the Innova overturned at least thrice before coming to a halt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAtCE0hFEI0
Nine people were travelling in the Innova. They were taken to a hospital where five were declared brought dead. The condition of the injured is stated to be critical.
ANI quoted an eyewitness as saying: “A dumper jumped off the divider and hit an Innova, carrying a total of nine people.” He also said, “Five people died on the spot and four others were taken to a hospital. One succumbed to injuries later.”
“It was a horrific accident as the sound was too much. It felt as if a bomb has exploded,” he added.
Police said the driver of the dumper fled from the spot. The vehicle bears a Haryana registration number.
Police are looking for him to determine the exact sequence of events.
IANS/PTI inputs