Three people lost their lives and three others suffered serious injuries in a devastating car crash in West Bengal’s Hooghly district on Friday night. The accident happened as a group transported Durga idols for a community puja celebration, police confirmed Saturday.
The crash unfolded near Anantapur in the Polba-Dadpur block. Members of Shankarbati village had traveled to Patuapara in Chandannagar to pick up the idols for their upcoming Durga Puja festivities. A truck carrying the idols made it back to the village safely, but the four-wheeler trailing behind with six passengers, including the driver, never arrived.
Puja committee members grew worried as the night wore on and called one of the passengers. That’s when police got word of the trouble. The group rushed to the scene and then to Chandannagar Subdistrict Hospital.
Authorities say the four-wheeler slammed into a stack of bricks on the roadside while descending from the Chandannagar rail overbridge around midnight. Two victims died instantly at the crash site. Rescuers rushed the four injured survivors to Chinsurah Imambara Hospital, where one more person passed away. Another went to SSKM Hospital in Kolkata for advanced care, while the remaining two are still receiving treatment in Chinsurah.
The deceased were identified as Bhaskar Devdhara, 29, from Aankarbati village; Pritam Chakraborty, 30; and Swapan De, 40. Both Chakraborty and De hailed from Surerpukur in the Chandannagar area. Chandannagar police station officers arrived first, followed by colleagues from Polba station to secure the area.
A local resident speaking to reporters suggested the car was speeding when it hit the bricks. “We found liquor bottles inside the vehicle,” he said. “They might have been drinking, and the driver could have lost control.” Police are investigating possible drunk driving in this tragic Durga Puja-related road accident.
Autopsies for the victims are set for Saturday at Chinsurah Imambara Hospital, as the Hooghly district probes the crash that has shocked the community ahead of the festival.
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