Four people, including an HR manager, were killed and two others injured after a dumper collided with a stationary crane and an auto-rickshaw carrying workers installing CCTV cameras for Delhi traffic police in Sarita Vihar, southeast Delhi, police said.
The crash took place at about 3.20 am on Sunday. The medium-sized dumper, which had a Haryana registration number, was travelling from Noida towards Delhi when it hit the crane parked on the roadside, according to the police. The crane was being used by workers installing cameras as part of traffic surveillance infrastructure.
The impact then pushed the dumper into an auto-rickshaw parked near the work area. Several workers were seriously injured. Police said two workers were on the crane installing cameras, while others were near the auto-rickshaw and on the road when the collision occurred. The injured were taken to hospital, where four people were declared dead during treatment.
The deceased were identified as Umesh, 23, Praveen, 35, and Anoop, 26, all residents of Sangam Vihar, and Suraj, 34, a resident of Munirka. Police said Suraj was working as an HR manager with a technology company, while Praveen and Anoop were labourers associated with the same company involved in the CCTV installation work. Umesh was not employed by the company, according to the police.
The two injured workers were identified as Akash, also known as Tushar, 20, from Sangam Vihar, and Khem Singh, 40, from Rohini. Both were undergoing treatment. Another worker, Sudhir, a Sangam Vihar resident, escaped unhurt.
The crash has severely affected a family from Sangam Vihar. Praveen, Anoop and Akash were cousins, according to their relatives. Praveen’s father, Ramdas, said Praveen was the sole earning member of his family and had two young children. Relatives said the family learnt about the accident in the morning through a person who had accompanied Praveen to the work site.
A family member, Brajesh Kumar, alleged that the workers had not been provided adequate safety equipment while carrying out the night-time work. He also alleged that the company had not taken responsibility. The allegations have not been independently established, and police have not fixed responsibility on the company or confirmed any lapse in the work-site arrangements.
The dumper was seized after the accident, and police examined the crash site and the vehicles involved. Investigators are checking CCTV footage, the dumper’s speed and route, the positions of the crane and auto-rickshaw, and the safety arrangements at the installation site. The investigation will determine how the collision occurred and whether any violations or negligence contributed to the deaths.
