14 killed as stone-laden truck falls on cars carrying wedding guests in Bengal

Boulders fromthe truck then fell on the two vehicles, he said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced an ex gratiaof Rs 2.5 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed in theaccident.The state government will provide Rs 50,000 each tothose who were seriously injured, she said at a programme inPurulia.Banerjee also said that Rs 25,000 would be given toeach of those whose injuries are not serious.The loss cannot be compensated.

Fourteen members of amarriage party were killed and 17 others injured after aboulder-laden truck collided head-on with a car and then fellon two other vehicles in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district,police said on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee announced ex gratia for the victims of theaccident which occurred in Jaldhaka area of Dhupguri block onTuesday night.

The cars of the marriage party were going towardsDhupguri on the wrong side of a highway and there was poorvisibility due to dense fog, a senior police officer said.

The truck hit the first car which careened to a sideand, under the impact of the collision, boulders startedfalling from it.

The driver lost control of the truck which toppled toa side partially crushing the two other cars. Boulders fromthe truck then fell on the two vehicles, he said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced an ex gratiaof Rs 2.5 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed in theaccident.

The state government will provide Rs 50,000 each tothose who were seriously injured, she said at a programme inPurulia.

Banerjee also said that Rs 25,000 would be given toeach of those whose injuries are not serious.

''The loss cannot be compensated. But we would like totell the families that the government is with them. We areproviding compensation to the next of kin of the deceased andthe injured persons,'' Banerjee said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he wasextremely anguished over the road accident and announced an exgratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the family members of those wholost their lives in the incident.

He also said that Rs 50,000 each would be given tothose injured, according to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar also expressedsadness at the loss of lives in the accident.

He appreciated immediate assistance announced by theprime minister and the chief minister for the accidentvictims.

Of the injured, 12 are undergoing treatment inJalpaiguri Super Speciality Hospital, four in Dhupguri Graminhealth facility and one in North Bengal Medical College andHospital (NBMCH), the police officer said.

State minister Aroop Biswas went to the superspeciality Hospital to enquire about the condition of theinjured while another minister Goutam Deb visited the familymembers of the victims.

Trinamool Congress MLAs Khageswar Roy and Mitali Royaccompanied the ministers.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)