15 sleeping migrant labourers crushed under truck In Surat, PM condoles deaths

Surat: A moving dumper truck crushed 19 persons who were sleeping on road side in Kosamba village early in the morning today.15 of them are dead. The Prime Minister and State Chief Minister each have announced Rs.2 lakh to kin of each person who died an Rs. 50,000 to each injured person. Six persons injured including driver and assistant of truck are under medical treatment at SMIMER Surat.

Kosamba village is located at around 60 km from Surat. A dumper truck ran over the sleeping labourers on the Kim-Mandvi road killing 12 on the spot. All the victims were from Banswada in Rajasthan

The truck driver apparently 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 labourer,” Surat SP Usha Rada said. The driver has been arrested.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief at the incident and his office tweeted: “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.”