Bettiah: Three youths died after their motorcycle collided with an unidentified truck on the Bettiah-Lauriya stretch of NH-727 near Jiriya Bengali Mai temple on Wednesday. The deceased were identified as Paltu Sah, Anukeb Mian and Sahil Mian.According to an eyewitness, Salik Das, a temple priest, the truck was travelling from Lauria towards Bettiah, while the motorcycle carrying the three youths was approaching from the opposite direction at high speed. The two vehicles collided, leaving all three riders seriously injured.Local residents and police personnel rushed the injured to the Lauria Community Health Centre. After providing initial treatment, doctors referred them to the Govt Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Bettiah. However, doctors there examined the three and declared them dead.Lauria SHO Indrajit Paswan said police reached the spot soon after receiving information about the accident and assisted in shifting the injured to hospital. All three youths died while being taken to the GMCH hospital, he said.“The incident is being investigated. Police are taking steps to identify the truck involved in the accident and trace its driver,” Paswan said.A local resident said speeding was the main reason behind frequent accidents on the stretch. “The main reason for the frequent accidents is high speed. Accidents and deaths are occurring regularly because of overtaking and the race to get ahead of other vehicles.”
