A pickup, packed to the brim with passengers, including school going children, met with a severe accident early morning today, which led to the death of at least one person while leaving 24 others injured.
The accident took place at about 8:45 am, in Rongpel, near the village of Rongram, about 15km from Tura.
According to reports, at least four people with severe injuries are currently being treated at Tura Civil Hospital while the rest received treatment at the nearby Asanang Primary Health Centre. Locals confirmed that there were at least six school students in the accident, though none of them suffered any injuries.
While it is still not known as to whether the vehicle was speeding or not, one thing that has been ascertained is that the mini-truck was loaded beyond capacity.
Police have identified the deceased as one Mokbul Hossain of Morasuti in Bhaitbari. He was 60 years old.
Scenes of such overloaded vehicles of people have become a common sight across the Garo Hills region with pickups sometimes squeezing in more than 50 people, despite the ongoing Covid-19 guidelines. The situation gets even more dangerous when one factors in the poor road conditions in the rural belt, with many places having only dirt tracks in the name of a road.
