New Delhi, 27 December: Three people lost their lives in a severe road accident on Saturday in Alipurduar district of West Bengal due to dense fog.
According to police, the accident occurred on National Highway-31 near the Garam Bastii area when a small car and a 12-wheeler trolley (trailer) collided head-on. Following the collision, the trailer fell into a roadside ditch.
It was reported that the small car was heading towards Siliguri in North Bengal, while the trailer was coming from the opposite direction. The car driver lost control while attempting to overtake, which led to the accident. The impact was so strong that the car was completely damaged.
The driver, Manojit Biswas, died on the spot. He was a resident of Sankash Tea Garden in Kumargram area of Alipurduar district. The other two victims were identified as Souvik Biswas, Manojit’s cousin and also from Sankash Tea Garden, and Raju Mandal, a resident of Alipurduar and a car mechanic by profession.
Locals stated that dense fog has covered North Bengal over the past few days, reducing visibility on roads to almost zero. This was cited as the main reason for the accident.
Police officials have advised all drivers to exercise extra caution while travelling on national highways and other roads. Authorities are also considering arrangements to provide hot milk, tea, and biscuits to drivers travelling at night.
Siliguri DCP (Traffic) Kazi Shamsuddin Ahmed said, “Every year around this time, dense fog reduces visibility significantly. Everyone should drive carefully. Today’s accident resulted in three deaths. We urge everyone to be very cautious while driving.”
Meanwhile, on Saturday morning, a container truck overturned after hitting a divider on Vidyasagar Setu in Kolkata. Due to the low speed of the truck, a major accident was averted, but the incident caused traffic congestion on the bridge connecting Howrah and Kolkata.
– DSC