Four dead after truck mows them down on Durgapur Expressway

At least four persons including a woman were killed and seven others were critically injured when a truck mowed them down at Palsit in Purba Bardhaman district on Wednesday afternoon, police said.

The tragedy took place on Durgapur Expressway about 90 km from Kolkata at around 4 pm when the truck driver lost control over the vehicle, the police said.

The truck hit a bike and a bicycle from the rear at Palsit near here before mowing down 11 people waiting at a nearby bus stand, the police said.

The injured were rushed to Bardhaman Medical College and Hospital where four of them were declared brought dead, a senior police officer said.

"Most of those injured are quite critical. Among them there is a child who is also gravely injured," the officer said. One person is being taken to Kolkata for treatment, the police said.

Superintendent of police Bhaskar Mukherjee said the police is checking the CCTV footage. The truck was on way to Durgapur from Kolkata and its driver managed to flee, the police said. A huge police contingent was deployed in the area, where locals put up a road blockade, he added.