Patna: Three members of a family, including a girl, died and several others were injured when a speeding truck collided with an autorickshaw carrying pilgrims, in Nalanda district on Sunday. The victims were returning to Khodaganj from Malmas Mela in Rajgir when the accident took place near K K Medical College and Hospital in Chhabilapur police station area.Anuj Kumar Pathak, SHO of Chhabilapur police station, said the incident took place between 9.30am and 10am. He said the deceased have been identified as Shivani Kumari (6), Rani Devi (45) and Guddu Kumar (25), adding all the passengers of the auto belonged to the same family from Kochar village in Khodaganj police station area. He added soon after the accident, the truck’s tyre burst and the driver parked the vehicle near a fuel station before escaping.Rajgir DSP Sanjeet Kumar Gupta said the bodies were sent to Biharsharif Sadar Hospital for the postmortem, while seven injured were admitted to Bhagwan Mahavir Institute of Medical Sciences in Pawapuri. He added that the injured are out of danger. Police seized both the damaged autorickshaw and the truck.Following the accident, angry residents blocked the highway, demanding arrest of the driver and compensation to the victims’ families, said police.
