CURATED BY – RAJEEV KAHRE | CITYCHIEFNEWS

Raipur, A heart-wrenching road accident took place late Sunday night on the Balodabazar highway adjacent to the capital Raipur, in which 13 people died. The dead include 9 women and children. The accident took place near Bangoli village of Kharora police station area, when a trailer and a truck collided head-on. The horror of the accident was such that many people died on the spot, while many were seriously injured.

According to the information received, Puneet Sahu, a resident of Chataud village, was returning from a family function in Bano village of Kharora with his relatives. Late at night between 11:00 and 11:30 pm, his car collided with a heavy trailer near Saragaon, due to which 13 people died on the spot. A six-month-old infant is also among the dead.

Reason for the accident:
Initial investigation has revealed that the iron angles in the trailer were protruding out by about three feet, and many people died after colliding with them. At the time of the accident, there was dense darkness on the road and the drivers of both the vehicles were reportedly drunk. To save toll tax, they took the route which is generally not considered suitable for heavy vehicles.

Government reactions:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep grief over the accident and expressed condolences to the families of the deceased by tweeting. Along with this, he announced financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 50 thousand to the injured from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai has also expressed grief over the accident and announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs 50 thousand each to the injured on behalf of the state government.

Mourning atmosphere in the area:
The entire Chataud village is immersed in mourning. The entire area is silent due to the simultaneous death of so many people of the same village. Administration and police are present on the spot and treatment of the injured is going on.

Questions remain unanswered:
Not only the driver's negligence or iron angles are responsible for such a terrible accident, questions also arise on the road safety system, the compulsion of the toll system and the monitoring of the transport department.