6 labourers killed, 11 injured as sugarcane truck overturns

Six labourers were killed and 11 others injured when their speeding truck loaded with sugarcane overturned in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district early on Monday, police said.

The incident took place in Pishor ghat section at around 2.30 am when the truck was going from Kannad to Pishor, an official said.

As many as 17 labourers were travelling on the truck, he said.

According to authorities, the accident was reported on Monday at around 1;00 am. As per the primary investigation, a group of 17 laborers were traveling on the sugarcane-loaded truck when it suddenly overturned, burying them under the cane. Due to the late midnight hours, immediate help was not available. However, local residents managed to rescue 13 laborers, but sadly, four of them succumbed to their injuries on the spot.

“The truck loaded with sugarcane was passing through Kannad-Pishor ghat area and the sugarcane labourers were travelling on the vehicle. It overturned in the ghat area around 2.30 am,” an official from Kannad city police station told PTI.

After receiving information, the police rushed to the spot and carried out a rescue operation with the help of local people.

Four labourers were found dead under the heap of sugarcane and two succumbed during treatment, the official said.

The deceased have been identified as Kisan Rathod (30), Manoj Chavan (23), Mithun Chavan (26), Vinod Chavan (28), Krushna Rathod (30) and Dnyaneshwar Chavan (36). They were from Satkund village and other nearby localities in Kannad, the police said.

The 11 other labourers who suffered injuries were admitted to a government hospital and other medical facilities here, they said. (With agency inputs)