Bihar: 2 Policemen Dead, Several Injured As Speeding Truck Rams Into Van Carrying Poll Duty Personnel In Gopalganj

The incident took place near NH-27, close to Barhima Mor, within the Sidhwalia police station area. Following the collision, chaos ensued at the scene.

New Delhi: Two policemen lost their lives and more than a dozen others sustained injuries in Bihar's Gopalganj district when a speeding container truck collided with the van they were traveling in. The tragic incident occurred near Barhima Bazar around noon on Sunday while the police team was en route to Supaul for election duty during the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections, news agency PTI reported.

The van, carrying policemen on election duty, had come to a halt near Barhima Bazar when the container truck, travelling at high speed, crashed into it from behind. Two policemen succumbed to their injuries at the scene, while over a dozen others were wounded in the collision, according to PTI.

All the injured individuals have been rushed to the nearest government hospital, where they are receiving medical treatment, and their condition is reported to be stable. The local police have seized the container involved in the accident, as confirmed by a statement issued by the office of the Superintendent of Police of Gopalganj.

The deceased officers have been identified as Ashok Kumar Uraon, a resident of Punea, and Pawan Mahto, a resident of Bettiah, both serving as constables in the Bihar Police force. Meanwhile, the driver of the container truck fled from the scene following the accident, PTI reported.

Gopalganj SP Swarn Prabhat said, "They were on election duty. They had stopped at a Dhaba at the side of the highway to have lunch. A container hit the bus from behind. There have been casualties. Two of our jawans have lost their lives and 10-15 jawans are injured... They were on their way to Supaul for elections".

As per reports, 242 women and men district force personnel were on their way to Supaul for election duties, traveling in three buses from the police line. While taking a breakfast break near Barhima's turn, a speeding container collided with one of the buses, causing a chain reaction that led to further collisions between the buses.

The Health Department dispatched five ambulances and a team of doctors to the scene, with additional ambulances being directed to Sadar Hospital to transport the injured for treatment. According to inputs, numerous police personnel were trapped between the collided buses, necessitating hours of painstaking efforts for their evacuation.

Meanwhile, SP Swarn Prabhat and DM Mohammad Maqsood Alam promptly arrived at Sadar Hospital to assess the situation. They assured that relief and rescue operations were being conducted with urgency at the accident site.