Truck falls into stream in Madhya Pradesh, 29 killed

Accident happened when driver of the truck tried to avoid a head-on collision with another truck.

BY A CORRESPONDENT

10 November 2006
NEW DELHI, INDIA

In a shocking incident, a truck nosedived into a stream killing a least 29 people. As many as 40 persons were injured. The mishap occurred near Piparia town in the Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh. 

The accident occurred as agricultural workers were on their way to work in the fields. The dead include 10 men, 10 women and nine children. 

The accident is believed to have happened after the driver of the truck lost control of the vehicle near Piparia, which is 90 km south-east of the capital city of Bhopal, while avoiding a head-on collision with another speeding truck coming from the opposite direction.

The injured have been rushed to a Bhopal hospital . The death toll is feared to go up as doctors said that more than 10 of the injured farmers are battling with life. 

Incident of such mishaps have become common in the country, as per reports. The country’s roads have a poor road safety record and accounts for 10 per cent of the world's 1.2 million annual traffic deaths. An estimated 225 people are killed on Indian roads each day, say studies on the subject. Most of the research findings blame reckless driving, disregard of safety norms, and poor maintenance of vehicles and roads as reasons for mishaps that steal lives on a daily basis.