THE Kawardha incident, which claimed 19 lives, remains a vivid memory. Meanwhile, another tragic incident occurred in Korba district, resulting in one death and injuring nearly half a dozen people. The district police have started implementing measures to prevent such incidents in the future. According to the information, in the Korba district incident, an elderly villager died and six others were injured when a recklessly-driven pickup overturned near Garhkatra turn by Satrenga, under the limits of Balco Police Station, last Wednesday evening. The injured are undergoing treatment at the hospital. The major accident occurred on Wednesday evening when a group of 40 villagers boarded a pickup truck was heading towards Jhabar village for Chauthiya rituals - meant for bringing back a daughter who had gone to her in-laws’ house. Upon reaching Garhkatra turn by Satrenga, the vehicle, driven recklessly, lost control and overturned, killing Kodo Ram, an elderly villager from Satrenga, and injuring six others. Four of the injured have been admitted to the District Medical College Hospital.

 

Instead of booking a passenger vehicle, villagers had booked a goods carrier pickup for transportation. The driver had crammed 40 villagers into the back of the pickup. The villagers reported that the driver was intoxicated and driving carelessly from the beginning. After traveling about one and a half kilometers beyond the village, the vehicle overturned near Garhkatra turn and fell into a pit three feet below. The 65-year-old Kodo Ram died on the spot after being crushed under the vehicle. Hearing the screams, passers-by rushed to help. Upon receiving the information, 112 and Sanjeevani teams reached the spot and took all the injured to the District Medical College Hospital. Four injured villagers, identified as Sukhmati (60), Arati Rohidas (17), and Amitab Bachchan (27), were admitted to the hospital due to serious injuries, while two others were discharged after first aid.

 

A villager traveling in the pickup stated that the driver was so drunk that he couldn’t even get up and run after the incident. Despite being asked to drive slowly, he ignored the requests as he was not fully conscious. The police have registered a case against the driver for causing the accident and death due to careless driving. They also mentioned that a case will be registered against the vehicle owner. Speaking on the matter, SP Siddharth Tiwari said the villagers were travelling from Satrenga to Dipka in a goods vehicle when the accident occurred. One person died and six others were injured. Fortunately, everyone’s condition is stable. The Korba police have also taken action against other goods vehicles carrying passengers. Since Thursday morning, 12 such vehicles have been caught transporting people illegally.