A Katihar road accident killed three people, including an elderly couple, and seriously injured three others when a car crashed into a stationary sand-laden truck near Narayanpur on Friday morning. The passengers were travelling from Katihar to Manihari for a ritual dip in the Ganga on the first day of Chhath.
The crash took place around 5am on the Katihar-Manihari four-lane road. All six occupants of the car were residents of the Bangna locality under the Town police station limits in Katihar district. The vehicle was approaching from the Katihar side when it rammed into the rear of the truck, which was parked near Kutubpur, according to preliminary information in the police investigation.
The deceased were identified as Shambhu Singh, 68, his wife Usha Singh, 65, and their neighbour Manju Rani Saha, 38, who was the wife of Indu Sah. The injured were identified as the couple’s grandchildren, Satyam, also known as Rudra, 14, Harshita Kumari, 5, and the driver, Golu Kumar, 20.
The collision severely damaged the front of the car and trapped the occupants inside. Police personnel had to work to pull them out of the wreckage. The injured were taken to the subdivisional hospital in Manihari, while the bodies were sent to Katihar Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examinations.
Manihari station house officer Santosh Kumar Jha reached the site with a police team. “The three bodies were sent to Katihar Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examination, while the truck was seized,” Jha said.
Police suspect that the car driver may have dozed off, but the exact cause of the crash has not yet been established. The seizure of the truck forms part of the ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collision, including the position of the stationary vehicle on the road.
The accident also disrupted movement along the Katihar-Manihari road, with damaged vehicles and the crash scene causing a massive traffic jam. Commuters were stranded for several hours before police cleared the vehicles and restored traffic movement.
The incident occurred as families travelled for Chhath rituals, a period that brings increased movement towards river ghats and other public access points. In this case, the victims were heading to the Manihari Ganga ghat when the crash occurred. Police have not announced any further findings on the investigation beyond the preliminary suspicion regarding driver fatigue.
